Among the world’s “seabirds”, gulls are the most accessible to humans, invading our most immediate surroundings. Gulls are sometimes perceived as 2nd class avian creatures. This, along with the identification challenges they present, has created a love-hate relationship with many birders. And yet, some of our most coveted bird species in the world are gulls, presenting us with an interesting juxtaposition. Amar Ayyash will take us through an entertaining and intriguing exploration of their natural history, taxonomy, and share some helpful ID tips in time for gull-watching season.

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Amar Ayyash is both an expert on the gulls of North America and an evangelist for “gull recreation”. He coordinates the Illinois Ornithological Society’s Annual Gull Frolic on Lake Michigan, hosts the popular website anythinglarus.com, and is often found speaking at birding events throughout North America. Much of his free time is dedicated to traveling the world to photograph and study gulls. Amar has published a number of papers and articles on gull identification, distribution, and molt, and he is the author of the newly released book, The Gull Guide. Amar lives in the Chicagoland region where he teaches mathematics.

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