Laughing Gull in St. Louis County
2011-04-28

'Casual' in Minnesota

Laughing Gull at Hearding Island, Park Point, Duluth, 28 April 2011. Originally found by Jan & Larry Kraemer at the Park Point Recreation Area boat launch early this same morning, the bird was not seen again until 4:20 PM when it was found standing and preening on the mudflats at the north end of Hearding Island amongst a small flock of Ring-billed Gulls. Eight minutes later it was flushed by one of the Ring-billeds and flew towards the beach on the lake side of Park Point, where further attempts to refind it from 22nd Street and other public access points were unsuccessful. This in flight image shows the long-winged and pointed wing shape of this species, and its diagnostic underwing pattern. Adult Franklin's Gull has shorter and more rounded wings, and its ventral remiges appear whitish except for a relatively small amount of black on the wing tip. On the dorsal surface of the near wing, the black is more extensive than on Franklin's Gull, and the black wing tip merges with the gray on the outer wing instead of being separated by a white band as on Franklin's Gull. If accepted by the MOU Records Committee, this would furnish the 15th Minnesota record of this Accidental species and the first for Duluth since 5 May 1988 (Loon 60:134). There is only one previous April record--an adult in Houston County 22 April 1993 (Loon 65:103).

Peder H. Svingen