Banded Ring-billed Gulls B5TH and BKKC

On February 27th, I observed and documented two banded Ring-billed Gulls at Baisley Pond Park in Queens. That same evening I reported the information to the banding station in Quebec Canada where there is an ongoing research program on the ecology of Ring-billed Gulls. The next day, I received word from Professor Jean - Francois Giroux who sent me information about both birds, which were both banded in Quebec, Canada. The photos I got are not the greatest quality as I digiscoped both subjects at a fair distance. However, the photos were able to aid in verifying the codes.

This bird with band code BKKC shows 3 entries in Quebec and my report was the first US entry in the summary of re-sightings.

The second banded RBGU was banded in 2009. My report will be the first re-sighting entry for B5TH. As I have noted in previous reports of banded birds, documenting such data is very important to researchers who are then are able to map out the movement of these individuals as well as flocks they might be roving with.

Tags: Ring-billed Gull, BKKC, B5TH, Queens