Nature Watch: Gulls at the Crossroads

About the author: Steve Ellis is a naturalist and Land Trust member who enjoys sharing his love of the natural world. His blog series, “Nature Watch,” will appear each month in “Habitchat,” chronicling native plants and wildlife you can expect to see during that particular time of year. We thank Steve for sharing his passion, illustrating the importance of island conservation.

Overview

Gulls are rarely at the top of most people’s list of favorite creatures. Often the big white birds are either overlooked because of their ubiquity, or worse, thought of as “flying rats.” The reality is that gulls deserve a closer look, particularly in July and August.

Our everyday gull is the Glaucous-winged x Western hybrid. Formerly, Glaucous-winged Gulls had the Salish Sea to themselves, but Western Gulls moving up the coast from California and Oregon entered the area and interbred with the locals. Now these large hybrids predominate during the May to July breeding season.

July and August bring changes to this monopoly. Ring-billed Gulls arrive from east of the mountains to spend the winter. Smaller than the hybrids, these birds with a dark-colored ring around their bills can be seen in fields and along beaches. Sometimes known as “French fry gulls,” Ring-bills will hang out where people are careless with their own food.

Another species from the east, the mis-named California Gull, travels from breeding territories as far away as Wyoming and North Dakota. Sporting a red and black spot on the lower bill, California Gulls are often present in large numbers. Most only tarry around our islands until September, preferring to winter elsewhere.

Two gull species from the north also crowd the local scene.

Bonaparte’s Gull, a dainty species from lakes in the boreal forests of Alaska and Canada, begin arriving in late July. The flight of these birds is elegant and buoyant, making them capable of picking tiny fish and shrimp from the water without having to land on the surface.

Short-billed Gulls also come to us from northern points. Formerly known as Mew Gulls from their mewing calls, they are another of the smaller species of gull. They may be seen in fields and along beaches.  We’ve noted them catching termites that swarm in areas where forests meet the sea. These birds may have spent the summer on the slopes of Mount Denali, in the presence of caribou and grizzly bears.

Drifting north from islands off Baja California, Heermann’s Gulls begin to appear in July. These remarkable birds with their striking plumage only visit for a couple of months before winging their way back south. Since the spring months on their breeding grounds have such high temperatures, nesting for these elegant birds must commence in winter.

Other species eventually come to the Salish Sea. Herring, Glaucous, and Icelandic Gulls are present in winter as their breeding territories are iced over. Yet July and August offer the most gull diversity.

Gull species come to our islands from every point on the compass. They tie us to far-flung regions such as Baja California, Dakota prairies, mountain slopes of the Alaska Range, and northern forests. Camano and Whidbey Islands become a crossroads of a sort for gulls. Bird migrations stitch us to the continent and remind us that as long as birds fly, no island is an island unto itself.

Note the timing of the change from summer to breeding plumage varies not only from species to species but also among individuals. Plumage of juvenile birds is beyond the scope of this blog. Several field guides and websites are available to help identify young gulls.

Heermann’s Gull by Martha Ellis.

Fauna: Heermann’s Gull (Larus hermanni)

This mid-sized gull is undoubtedly the easiest to identify. Named for the explorer Adolphus Heermann, these beautiful birds are closely related to a group of species found along the coasts of South America.

Heermann’s Gulls are 19 inches in length. The back is dark gray, contrasting with the beautiful ash-colored underparts. In breeding plumage the head is bright white and the bill is red with a black tip. The legs, feet and tail are black.

All Heermann’s Gulls breed on islands off Baja California, with 90% found on Isla Raza. The timing of the breeding is such that it ends as the excessive heat of April begins.

The diet of this unusual gull is varied, with a wide range of fish taken in the ocean, as well as shrimp, squid and other creatures. Foraging on land is also undertaken where insects, lizards, and eggs of other seabirds are consumed.

Heermann’s Gulls employ several methods for capturing food. They catch ocean prey by plucking it from the surface or jumping from the water in order to dive below the surface. They are also accomplished pirates, stealing food from terns, pelicans and sea lions.

The best places to observe Heermann’s Gulls are along Whidbey’s west side. Large numbers of these elegant birds often rest on the Keystone ferry jetty.

Yarrow with pollinator. Photo by Martha Ellis.

Flora: Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Yarrow shares some attributes with gulls: it’s seemingly everywhere, white, considered by some to be a nuisance, lives along beaches and well inland, and often grows as a hybrid.

Yarrow rises from rhizomes and can reach a height of two feet. Stems are topped with flat or rounded clusters of tiny white to pinkish flowers that commence blooming in late spring and last into fall.

Several types of insects pollinate the flowers, including hoverflies, bees and butterflies. Woodland skipper is a butterfly species I’ve often noted nectaring on yarrow. Some moth species use the plant as a host.

Deer and rabbits tend to bypass yarrow because of the aroma and the bitterness of the foliage.

Its habit of pioneering into areas makes yarrow important for anchoring soils, including those that are partially saline. It can be found in sandy situations, associating with dune grass which helps prevent erosion. Not only can the hardy yarrow handle a bit of salt, but it also tolerates dry conditions and will grow in full sun or partial shade.

Controversy among botanists about the origins of this plant continue. Yarrow is considered a native by the Washington Native Plant Society. Several varieties have been introduced, creating hybrids with the local flora.

Look for yarrow along roadsides, beaches, neglected yards, and other open settings.

Read more Habitchat blog posts