Newfoundland Gulls 17 to 23 January 2008 Page 2 of 5

About 75 Black-headed Gulls are spending this winter in St. John's. These birds are at Quidi Vidi Lake and others frequent the nearby sewer outlet where they are easily seen at close range. Some Black-headed Gulls breed around Newfoundland, but most wintering birds probably come from Iceland.

Black-headed Gull in first basic plumage on 21 January 2008.

Adult Common Gull (Larus canus canus) at Quidi Vidi Lake on 19 January 2008.

Kumlien's Iceland Gull at Quidi Vidi Lake on 17 January 2008

Kumlien's Iceland Gull at Quidi Vidi Lake on 22 January 2008.

Adult Kumlien's Iceland Gull at Quidi Vidi Lake on 17 January 2008

Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull at Hospital Pond on 19 January 2008. This species is frequent in St. John's. Most probably come from Iceland where there are about 30,000 breeding pairs. This species recently colonized southern Greenland. Occasional Lesser Black-backed Gulls are found in Herring Gull colonies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and along the Labrador Coast, but so far breeding has not been documented in Canada.

Quidi Vidi Lake is about 1 km from our hotel, the Battery on Signal Hill. This small lake attracts 1000s of gulls that are easily viewed. The lake, sewer outlet in the harbour, and dump are all close to one another making St. John's the Winter Gull Watching Capital of Canada. This was our third yearly trip in January to see gulls.

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