Iceland Gull in St. Louis County
2010-05-27

'Rare Regular' in Minnesota

First-cycle Thayer's Gull (Larus thayeri) observed on both sides of the Minnesota/Wisconsin state line at the Superior Entry, 27 May 2010. Comparing this bird's bill pattern and wing tips with a first-cycle bird photographed there on the 16th (see http://moumn.org/cgi-bin/recent.pl?rec_id=1059), it's clear that this is a different individual. According to Bob Domagalski, the latest spring dates for Wisconsin include 25 May 1992, 6 June 1998, and 19 June 1999. Last spring, at least two first-cycle Thayer's lingered in the Duluth area through 30 May (The Loon 81:181). Minnesota's latest dates on record were furnished by a first-cycle Thayer's photographed by Karl Bardon at Duluth, 4 & 30 June 1998 (The Loon 71:23).

Peder H. Svingen