Possible Franklin's gull - Manukau Harbour

[Brent Stephenson]

This from Ian Southey via BIRDING-NZ Sat 5 Sept -

I have just got back from Kidd's where Tony Habraken and I have been looking at a possible Franklin's Gull. Need to check a few books first to see if there are other possibilities but the fit is reasonable allowing for a lot wear on the primaries.

It was with Black-billed Gulls but only loosely. Not as relaxed it walked out past them took flight and headed off towards Weymouth or similar on its own. I'm not convinced it will come back but could turn up anywhere in the wider Auckland area. It is Black-billed Gull size with a much darker grey back and quite a lot of the black head still present so not too hard to see if you look for it. I'd think it worth checking out any bunch of small gulls at the moment.

Lots of other good stuff there too and some new arrived godwits and knots too. One of the knots flagged blue over yellow on the right tibia is a new one for me.

Ian

Perhaps an indication of more good things to come this summer! Keep your eyes peeled,
Cheers,

[Rewi]

yeah right
It might as well have been on the planet zbloppp
as far as the rest of us are concerned, as this is
a strictly private site, where nobody else is allowed
to go.
If this was supposed to get us all drooling and frustrated,
it sure worked!

[Brent Stephenson]

Hi Rewi,

Not supposed to get you drooling and frustrated....supposed to get you out around the Manukau looking! As per Ian's email below the bird flew off towards Weymouth, and subsequently was not seen back at Kidd's the following day. With the state of moult this bird is in (very very ragged wing with a lot of missing flight feathers) it won't be going far. Best thing to do is to be out checking as many locations around the Auckland/northern NZ area as possible over the next few weeks as the bird sticks out a mile off with a prominent dark head that will slowly moult to a prominent dark hood. Would be even more dissension in the ranks if the sighting was suppressed!! So thanks to Ian for the rapid dissemination.

Ian will try and post some photos to the forum soon. In the meantime get out there with as much bread as you can beg from the supermarkets and feed the gulls!

With regards to Kidd's it is private property, but this has not stopped organised 'twitches' in the past - Dunlin back in 2006. As far as I'm aware the land-owners are happy to let those people that have regular access take others along in an organised fashion. Only fair really.

Cheers,

[Rewi]

Of course. Sorry for being such a grumpy-arse.
But man, we NEED an alerting network in this country!
If these blokes had been able to phone or text something
to an automatic hub of some kind, then we might all have
seen the darned thing. I just get sick of birding alone,
and following cold reports that use up days of work and
hundreds of kms of travel, chasing the arse of info that
is imprecise and stale.
Like a good cigar, a rare bird is only good when it's just
been picked up. Grubbing through the butts in the ash tray
afterwards isn't the same.
How much better we'd all do if we worked together, instead
of as a group of individuals!
Again, sorry for being ratty about it, but that's just the
nature of birding NZ, innit. It's like being one of those
donkeys that's always running after a carrot on a string
that it'll never reach.
Rewi

[Neil Fitzgerald]

Don't worry Rewi, I see SMS ("txt") alerts from a site like this as a natural progression. But you'll want it done right, and I'm not giving any timeline for that sort of thing.

[Rewi]

Don't worry Rewi, I see SMS ("txt") alerts from a site like this as a natural progression. But you'll want it done right, and I'm not giving any timeline for that sort of thing.

Good on ya, mate. I'm all for doing it properly. Mickey Mouse can stay in America.
(and the Springboks can stay in Oz. Oooops, sore point? ha har harrrr)......
Methinks you're on this forum from your Hamilton home too often, Fitzgerald.
Boring outdoors, is it?
Tee heee....

[Ian Southey]

Sorry for the delay, been a bit busy but now signed up and ready to go. This is what to look for, another set to follw.

Ian

[Ian Southey]

Ok. That's the best of it from start to finish. I think the bird may literally have arrived while we were there and headed off for parts unknown when it flew. It's worth keeping an eye out as from my recent reading Franklin's Gulls often do seem to settle and stay for a while. Just need to find out where it goes for its bread and chips. Did hear some musings about a bird badly seen at the small shell island at Mangere that could be a possibility.

It's fairly easy to spot if you look, a smidgen smaller than a Black-billed Gull, very much darker near slaty grey on the back. The legs are quite long too. When you see it's head all doubt will be gone. Even in non-breeding plumage it should retain a lot of black, at least over the ears. By the look of the wings it is just about through moult now, as the books have lead me to expect for this species. Just trying to work out if it can be aged ...

Ian

[Neil Fitzgerald]

Thanks for showing those Ian. Nice. It has to stick out like a sore thumb with a head like that.

[ledzep]

Any thoughts as to how it got here? Could it have followed or taken a ride on a ship from North American waters?