Franklin’s Gull

A rare feathered visitor was recently discovered by sharp-eyed birders in Auckland, and has been causing quite a bit of excitement in bird watching circles since. To many people it might look like just another gull—the sort that gathers at coastal carparks looking for handouts of potato chips and bread. Some might notice a bit of a black smudge on its head. To those interested in these things though, it is a Franklin’s Gull (Larus pipixcan), and when the Rare Birds Committee inevitably accept the identification it will be only the second of its kind recorded in New Zealand. Franklin’s gulls breed in the USA and Canada and migrate south through Central America to winter (our summer) along the west coast of South America. Our visitor is a bit lost.

I first heard news of the original sighting via the BirdingNZ.net forum in early September, but the bird escaped the efforts of local birders to relocate it for over a week. More than 3 weeks after the original sighting I couldn’t bear it any longer, so on Tuesday I went to try to take advantage of a small gap in the unsettled spring weather we have been having. I was half expecting to see no trace of the bird, or maybe a distant silhouette heading east, but luck (and planning) was on my side and I came away with lots of nice photos. I have only had time to pull just a few quick selects so far, but I should have lots of images to upload to my gallery later.