Madison, CT - sneaky little tag-along (1 Viewer)

[Craig Houghton]

I was looking through some pictures from a trip yesterday to Hammonasset Beach in Madison CT when I noticed a bird floating in the water below my actual subject in a photo. I was photographing the ring-billed flying above, but I failed to see the bird floating in the waves below.

I'm not all that used to gulls or ocean-loving birds, but that dark ear spot has me wondering if it might be a bonaparte's gull. It's a tiny pic, but it's all I have of the little fellow.

Any ideas?

-Craig

 

[alancairns]

I was looking through some pictures from a trip yesterday to Hammonasset Beach in Madison CT when I noticed a bird floating in the water below my actual subject in a photo. I was photographing the ring-billed flying above, but I failed to see the bird floating in the waves below.

I'm not all that used to gulls or ocean-loving birds, but that dark ear spot has me wondering if it might be a bonaparte's gull. It's a tiny pic, but it's all I have of the little fellow.

Any ideas?

-Craig

Looks like Bonaparte's Gull to me.

Alan

 

[joe cockram]

yeh,would agree with boanpartes

joe

 

[streatham]

Hi Craig

This is a Bonaparte's as Alan and Joe point out. In CT each year they stage up on the coast waiting to head north. Some years they can group up into huge rafts of birds numbering some hundreds or thousands strong. At this point birders start to look through to see whether there are any rare european gulls in with them - as it's possibly the best time of year to find Little Gull and Black-headed.

Out of interest if you haven't stumbled across it yourslf yet - this website has some very useful information for beginner birders and helps give you some idea of what will be around when: http://www.ctbirding.org/a_connecticut_birding_year.htm

Luke

 

[AlexC]

Glad you got out to Hammo, Craig! Nice shot of a Bonaparte's Gull, as Alan, Joe, and Luke have already verified.