FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] Ky Dam vicinity 16-17 Nov 2007, Cal. Gull, et al.

["Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EPPC OOS KNPC)" <Brainard.Palmer-Ball@xxxxxx>]

I spent late Friday and today in the vicinity of Kentucky Dam. Highlights 
follow:
 
16 Nov (Ky Lake circa 1 mi above the dam):
 
Red-throated Loon (1 juv)
Common Loon 35-40
Horned Grebe 50-75
Common Goldeneye 4
Lesser Black-backed Gull (2 ads at roost)
Great Black-backed Gull (1 first-year)
 
17 Nov (Ky Dam with Hap part of the day)
 
California Gull (first-year bird; unless some authority tells me that this bird 
is not a Cal Gull based on review of the potentially identifiable photos, I'll 
figure this ID is correct ... I've never called the age in KY before, but this 
bird seemed to be perfect. It was seen in the morning and again in late 
afternoon on the water immediately below the dam; picking food from the water's 
surface and not interacting with other gulls or hunting back and forth for 
fish; it also slept on one of the new railroad pilings for about an hour, this 
all suggesting that it might be using the dam tailwaters for feeding/loafing 
regularly??? Both times I lost the bird it disappeared over the dam headed 
towards the lock area. If you are looking for this bird, it is smaller than 
Herrings but brownish of a first-year bird; it has a VERY distinctly 
bi-colored, long, thin bill with basal 3/4 flesh-colored and abrupt change to 
black tip. The flight pattern looks good for the species; it appears quite long 
winged and flies "funny" to me ... I guess because of the long wings.
 
Thayer's Gull (nicely "hooded" adult)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (2 first-year birds)
Great Black-backed Gull (1 first-year bird soaring over the dam tailwaters with 
Herrings after a Bald Eagle passed over)
 
Ky Lake again 1-2 miles above the dam:
 
Red-throated Loon (1 juv again)
roughly similar numbers of other diving birds.
 
bpb, Frankfort