Sabine’s Gull photo gallery

Fall migration is a great time to find avian rarities.   A Sabine’s Gull in Nebraska a few decades ago would have been a “red letter” bird and sparked a great deal of excitement.  Sabine’s Gulls are seabirds that breeds in the Arctic.  Over time birders have learned how to find this species.  Sabine’s Gulls are now known to be rare, but regular (occurring annually or nearly so), in fall in Nebraska.   The overwhelming majority of Sabine’s Gulls that occur in Nebraska are juveniles, but Sabine’s Gulls of any age have a striking wing pattern.   Even though they are not the rarity they once were, it is always a treat to see this bird in Nebraska.  I saw two Saturday (15 September) morning, one each at Branched Oak and Pawnee Lakes.    The bird at Pawnee Lake was very cooperative and posed for some photos, some of which are below.  Enjoy!