Rare Lesser Black-backed Gull at Coronado

The beach at the historic Hotel del Coronado was the picturesque site of a rare bird this winter. Ron and Shawn Miller of Wisconsin discovered a Lesser Black-backed Gull there on November 23, 2018.

Lesser Black-backed Gull. Coronado, California. December 30, 2018. Greg Gillson.

The identification of this gull is straight-forward, but it will be unfamiliar to most West Coast birders. Large with a dark mantle it has a white eye and yellow legs. Western Gulls have pink legs and often pale grayish or brown eyes. California Gulls are slightly smaller but always have dark brown eyes.

The Miller's didn't identify it immediately; it was "discovered" a few days later, apparently after they posted photos of it on iNaturalist. Fortunately for local birders, the bird was settled in for the winter and will probably remain until early April.

This species breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. It winters south to West Africa. In the last third of the 20th century it underwent a range expansion. It now shows up regularly in eastern North America (southern Atlantic Canada and Great Lakes southward through the Mississippi River Valley), but especially right on the Atlantic coast.

It is more or less annual in San Diego county, now. It wasn't reported in 2010 or 2013, but has averaged about 3 birds per winter since then.

Being the big chaser of rarities that I am (NOT), I didn't make plans to go see it until it had been present over a month. But as you can see, my sloth mattered not. I'm an unenthusiastic chaser, even though I love to find rare birds on my own. Yes, even this life bird.

View of Point Loma and the mouth of San Diego Bay from Coronado.

The Lesser Black-backed Gull is on the rocks dead center of the photo,

while a Heermann's Gull and Brown Pelican fly past.

Photos of this and other Lesser Black-backed Gulls in San Diego on eBird. Click on the photos to rate (1 awful, 2 poor but identifiable, 3 average or small, 4 very good, 5 magazine cover worthy).