Greetings,

Last night I had the great fortune of spending some time with Chat Happens Co-Administrator, Ryan, for a little dinner on his way through my home area. Catching up was of course great, as were talks of birding adventures past and hopeful ones in the future. Catching me totally off guard at the end of the eat-and-greet, was a Christmas gift given to me from Ryan. As should be expected by now (there is a well accepted pattern), I was given a new bird book to add to my growing collection. The book is “Gulls of the Americas” by Howell/Dunn, and is something I’ve been wanting to add to my bookshelf since its arrival to the published scene. 

This book is of course part of the Peterson Reference Guide series and is going to be put to good use throughout the coming winter. Doing winter raptor work up in the Coxsackie Grasslands, I am given great access to the study of gulls through my daily lunches spent at the Coxsackie Boat Launch nearby. During any given winter one can expect to run into 6 species of gulls at this locale (Ring-billed, Herring, Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed, Glaucous, and Iceland) with the potential for others always looming (Thayer’s? California?). Expect by winter’s end to see a nice review of the book (after it is put into good use), and perhaps a few pages on gull ID. I’ve had the fortune of birding and working alongside Steve Howell, and he is considered by many to be one of North America’s top birders. His knowledge of molting schemes and seabirds are unparalleled and I have no doubt that this book will advance any observer’s knowledge of this challenging group.

~Chad