Wanderer: in Southwest Harbor on Sep 14, 2024 .
Miscellany: Franklin’s Gull is an odd gull. Its entire breeding population is in large fresh water marshes in the northern Great Plains, hundreds of miles from any ocean. Charmingly, many Great Plains locals nonetheless call them ”Sea gulls”. It has the longest migration of any gull with the possible exception of Sabine’s Gull, and winters along the coast of Peru and Chile. It is one of only two species (see Bobolink) in which most individuals molt all their wing and tail feathers twice a year.
Franklin’s Gull seems to be increasing in Maine having been confirmed most years since 2015 . There is one other Hancock Co. record; Nov 5, 2020 in Lamoine, just north of MDI.
Last Updated: October 3rd, 2024