Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)

(last update: July 12, 2015)

Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) 9T5 5cy, June 28 2015, Sandy Point - Plum Island, Ipswich, MA. Picture: Dave Adrien. 

Banded as pullus on Appledore Island, Maine on July 15 2011. Visit Appledore's BLOG.

When it comes to finding and photographing banded gulls Dave Adrien of Massachusetts is a real record holder.  Dave has provided more than 1100 sightings of banded gulls, many of them Appledore gulls, but also gulls from Massachusetts, Maine, Nova Scotia, and Quebec. That, in a years time is a major achievement.

Dave’s reports and photographs have proved to be a treasure for a number of research projects dealing with banded gulls.  His photos show ‘known age’ gulls banded as chicks in different plumages as they develop over four years into mature adults.  For example 9T5, pictured in adult plumage, was banded as an almost-ready-to-fly chick on Appledore Island July 15, 2011.  Dave’s record is the first recorded for 9T5 since banding.