By Mary Reid Barrow

Photos by Reese Lukei

Turns out a banded ring-billed gull that Reese Lukei saw dining in the parking lot of the Best Buy near the I-264 Interchange is a real old timer.

“At least 17 years old!” said raptor expert Reese, who has banded many birds over time and who photographed this senior citizen last week.

These photos were in last Monday’s Nature Notes soon after Reese took them. In the meantime, he sent  the gull photos off to the United States Geological Survey Bird Banding Lab to find out what more information they might have.

Surprisingly, word came back that the gull was banded as an adult on the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, Canada, as far back as April 30, 2009.

“It hatched in 2008 or earlier, so at least 17 years old!!!!!” Reese wrote.

Though the record for ring-billed gulls is 31 years, Reese said, from even one to 17 years is a long time for most birds to live. Even for a long-time bird bander like Reese, this gull was an oldster.

“The oldest bald eagle I have banded was 25 years old, he said. “The oldest snow goose was 14 years old and the oldest Cooper’s hawk, 8 years old.”

Ring-billeds are one of our most common gulls around here in fall, winter and spring. They are right under my nose, but when I looked into them, I realized these dime-a-dozen birds have some interesting traits.

For one, some gull species have black on their bills, ring-billed have a true ring around their beak, a sure fire id trait. They also are mostly white and gray with the only other black being on wing tips that show up vividly when they are flying.

Also, who would think a bird could live to a ripe old age on a diet of snacks found in a Best Buy parking lot or maybe French fries outside a McDonald’s? Ring-billed also eat normal things like fish, but scavenging is very common and could be tastier!

Lastly ring-billed gulls are those gulls out there, the ones that screech loudly as they toss their heads back as if to ask, “And what do you think of that?”

Ring-billeds are very sociable and usually fly and feed in big groups so it was unusual that the banded gull was alone in the parking lot. Reese noted that if had been milling around with lots of other gulls as ring-billeds usually do, he would never have noticed the bands.

Ring-billeds generally nest up north in Canada or the northern United States and migrate south to spend the winter. Many end up along the coast here, and or in a Best Buy parking lot!

If you see a bird with leg, neck or wing bands, send a photo and report to the Bird Banding Lab at reportband.gov.