The most conspicuous bird on our beaches, visually as well as acoustically, is the beloved Laughing Gull. Adults are in the process of losing their black heads, really since late July, and only a few stubborn ones are still dark. This species is probably more “migratory” than they seem, as we are probably seeing different populations throughout the year.

Carnivores like gulls and terns often sit for hours, until some jeep comes by to make them fly. But many will stretch occasionally so they are not injured when making needed takeoffs. Oh, notice also the color change this time of year in the bill and legs, from red to black. This saves energy as those bright colors are bought with an energetic price.

This is a Laughing Gull hatched this year and you can now see the beginnings of adult plumage creeping out onto the mantle. Note that gray and scroll back to the previous birds. That’s what this bird has in its immediate future. It’s not too far from the first year big gulls like Herring. You didn’t go back and look! :0-

This Ring-billed Gull on August 11 is an odd bird. First, it’s very early for either RB or Herring, as they should be up north finishing the breeding season. Second, why does it have the brownish speckling on the head and neck indicative of winter plumage? And last, note the gray-blue color of the bill and legs (aka soft parts). This is not normal and suggests some pollutant, perhaps from waters east of here.

Gulls perform a critically important function, much like the vultures of our terrestrial environs. This bird has a half-eaten needlefish and isn’t having an easy time getting the meat off the skeleton. Needlefish swim around on the surface taking small minnows, looking like light, slim gar. They are too boney for (normal) people to eat.

Herring Gulls are also winter residents, so this big fellow on August 10 was pretty early. It didn’t summer here, as some do, because it would be bleached out and scraggly. Note the pink legs of Herring, though young Ring-billeds also have pink legs until maturation. Note the big bill of this Herring Gull and the flat head.

If you note how much darker this bird’s mantle is than its underside and head, you’ll see why it’s a Lesser Black-backed Gull, immature. They are smaller than Herring and larger than RB, with a smaller, rounded head than Herring. They’ve been in the US near ly a half-century and I now sometimes see a dozen or more in a day’s beach work.

These LBBGs nest up north like Herring and RBs, so they are winter residents as well. We are beginning to see them show up in early August, much like the ear liest of the other two gulls. It is interesting to see how relatively recent immigrants settle in to a status, like the Cattle Egrets have done. Of course, some change is almost a constant.

Somewhat related to gulls are terns, and August is one of the two months we get good numbers of all eight. This adult is beginning to molt and lost its black, although it has a long way to go. Black Terns are strictly migrants through Texas, filling the beach in May and August. San Luis Pass is quite famous for this species, sometimes congregating in the thousands. So- how much dark do they lose?

Well, dang near all of it! Actually, they do remain darker than the other terns on top, an awfully good field mark, but below they get quite white by September. After that they become pretty scarce until they return in April. Most terns, in fact, are far more southern than most gulls, with five of our eight species being almost entirely non-wintering.

This is a typical Caspian Tern in August, with a less-than-red bill and juvenile mottling on the mantle and wing. This species is notorious for taking too long to “grow up,” and is often seen still begging food in winter and early spring from adults. Sometimes this takes place twenty feet or less from schooling mullet along the shores, where food is aplenty for Caspians with the will to forage.

Breeding in much larger numbers in Galveston Bay are Royal Terns, with more slender bills without any reddish. They also have long wings and tail for the long f light out to deeper water, where they and Sandwich Terns feed. Notice how their crest is shaggy but the Caspian is slicked down.

Individual variation is something that many young birders find confusing, but is a natural part of living kingdoms. It also fuels evolution because it gives the environment choices about who lives to pass on their genes and who dies out. Obviously, this Royal Tern is a little light on top, while his neighbor might be darker than normal.

I’ll bet not many of you know which species this is! This juvenile bird has a bill that’s not like any tern you know, but that’s from the little amount of birding we do in August. It’s a very young Sandwich Tern, one of the two off-shore feeders. Within the month the bill will turn black and develop a yellow tip, the sure sign of its species. Those long wings come in handy for those long flights out into the Gulf and back.

This Sandwich Tern has gotten the black bill but not the yellow tip yet. I seriously doubt most people would be able to recognize this species in this plumage. Most would prolly call it a Forster’s, or Common. You are probably beginning to see why August birding can be tricky, and there are some rather bizarre land birds around as well.

Here is the Common Tern. You can see the slick, full black rear cap, and the dark carpel bar affixed laterally on the wing. These and Forster’s are smaller than Sandwich but will disappear this fall for parts to the South. Forster’s have far less black on the head, almost a dark line through the eye, and no carpel bar.

Young Least Terns are about as confusing as some of the others! This juvenile shows some of the early markings to allow it to blend with the beach. Not surprising, they also have a black bill as juvies, and won’t gain their yellow beak until next spring, when they return as breeding birds. Locally, Bolivar Flats is one of their favorite nesting sites.