Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)

(last update: July 12, 2015)

Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) 3P2 adult, May 30 2015, Appledore Island, MA. Picture: Appledore banding team. 

3P2, banded on Appledore Island, Maine. Visit Appledore's BLOG.

The “Gulls of Appledore” banding team is concluding a busy and productive week at Shoals Marine Lab on Appledore Island. Field readable bands were placed on more than 50 gulls, both Herring Gulls and Great-Black-backed Gulls.  More than 500 sightings of banded gulls from prior years were recorded on Appledore Insland.

Students learned first-hand about field work and the challenge of proper recording, flagging nests, and record keeping. They also learned that catching gulls is hard work requiring patience, care and ingenuity. Student volunteers were from Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Maine.