Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini), Near Site Six on Lake Havasu, Mohave County

This juvenile Sabine's Gull was discovered and photographed by Dave Stejskal on Lake Havasu near Site Six on 17 September 2009.

Dave wrties:

"Sabine's Gull is a rare annual fall migrant in Arizona, with records scattered throughout the state. Although the large reservoirs on the Colorado R. are an excellent place to search for this scarce inland migrant in the state, Sabine's Gull can turn up at the smallest sewage ponds or golf course ponds just about anywhere. September seems to be the prime month for this normally pelagic species to be found here, but records span the spring months through the summer and into October.

At any age, the distinctive and highly contrasting upperwing pattern of black primaries, gray mantle, and white secondaries and inner primaries is like no other regularly occurring N. American bird."

17 September 2009, photo by David Stejskal

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