Mew Gulls in Connecticut

Mew Gulls are rare visitors from Siberia, Europe, and the West Coast of the U.S. 3 of 4 subspecies have been recorded in Connecticut, Larus canus canus (Common Gull, Europe), L.c.kamtschatschensis (Kamchataka Gull, Siberia) and L.c.brachyrhynchus (Short billed Gull, West Coast of U.S.).
Status of Mew Gulls in Connecticut:
Rare but increasing.

It's similar relative the abundant Ring-billed gull, is sometimes misidentified as a Mew Gull. But note that most Mew Gulls don't have a ring around their bill. A ornithological journal on birds in Connecticut (called the Connecticut Warbler) had a article on Mew Gulls in Connecticut, which provided some great info. There have been two Mew Gulls in Connecticut this year (1 in Stamford and 1 in New Haven). Interestingly, both were of the Kamchataka subspecies (It is unknown if the New Haven bird was the same one as the Stamford one).
Looking for Mew Gulls in Connecticut:
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Mew Gull is more regular than thought in Connecticut, and any subspecies is a fair game. I recommend searching through Westport to Madison, where plankton feeding seems to occur most often. I suggest looking for Mew Gulls at ANY time of the year, especially through Ring-billed Gull flocks. Out of the many Mew Gull records, one was found inland*.

Top: Ring-billed Gull
Bottom: Kamchataka Gull

Good luck if you go looking for Mew Gulls in Connecticut

By Tony Belejack

*Info by Nick Bonomo (view the Connecticut Warbler April 2017 edition on full article written by Nick Bonomo)