Náttúrufræðingurinn - 1987, Qupperneq 85

Zoological Museum in Copenhagen, and
“einkasafn” stands for private collection.
1. Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla). Four
records. Two from November and
December and two from July.
2. Franklin’s Gull (Larus pipixcan). One
adult bird in September 1984.
3. Little Gull (Larus minutus). 48
records (16 after 1980), involving at
least 51 individuals. Two old pub-
lished records of collected birds from
Vestmannaeyjar on 28 May 1909
and 10 February 1913 proved to be
Rhodostethia rosea. Little Gulls have
been seen in nearly all months, but are
most frequent in May and June, and in
September. Most of the summer
records are of young (first-summer)
birds, but nearly all winter records
(December to April) are of adult
birds.
4. Sabine’s Gull (Larus sabini). Ten
records (one after 1980), but at least
18 individuals. All the sightings are
from July to September, except one in
May and one in spring or summer. All
aged birds were adults, except a bird
collected in 1901. Observations no. 2
and 7 were done from ships at an
unknown distance from the coast, and
two further records are from ships
(no. 4 and 5). Only 6 birds have been
observed from land. Record no. 5
includes at least eight birds.
5. Bonaparte’s Gull (Larus phi-
ladelphia). Five records (two after
1980). Four of the birds were adults
seen in April (one) and June to July
(three). One second-winter bird was
collected in October.
6. Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis).
19 records (only four before 1981),
which include possibly only 11 indi-
viduals. Birds of this species have
been seen in most years since 1978.
First-summer birds (five) have been
recorded from March to June, with at
least three staying into late autumn,
second-summer birds in April (two)
and October (one), and adults in April
(one) and August-September (two).
7. Ross’s Gull (Rhodostethia rosea). 23
records (two after 1980), but possibly
only 14 individuals. An adult bird was
seen at the same locality in northern
Iceland (at Skipalón) in nearly every
summer between 1972 and 1980, and
near Akureyri in 1980 and 1981. This
may have been the same individual on
all occasions, and these records are
marked with an asterisk (*) in the list.
Records are distributed from Febru-
ary to August, with a peak in June.
Nine birds were adult but five imma-
ture.
8. Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea). 76
records (16 after 1980), but number of
individuals 87. The records are from
October to May, with a peak in early
January. One record is from July.
About half of the records are of first-
winter birds in October to January,
but there are very few records of first-
winter birds from late winter, prob-
ably reflecting difficulties in distin-
guishing between the two age groups
at that time. Records of adult birds are
scattered throughout the winter from
October to May. There are also some
undated records and comments on
birds from the north coast, mainly
from the ice edge north of Grimsey.
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