[wisb] ALERT: SABINE'S GULL - Cleveland
- From: <jmotquin@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Wisconsin Birding Network <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2013 19:25:59 +0000
On Thursday night, I birded the Lake Michigan shoreline from Kohler Andre State
Park to Cleveland as part of and on my way home from the Wisconsin Wetlands
Association Conference. I found all the usual suspects including black scoter,
white-winged scoter, greater and lesser black-backed gulls, common loon and
red-throated loons, normal Lake Michigan duck species. As I was about to call
it a night, I noticed an odd looking gull in the distance. It had an pecular
brownish hue that seemed almost reddish-brown in low light conditions. There
were noticable scalene triangular white solid patterns in the secondary
primaries which increased in width from the leading to the trailing edge of the
wings. The remainder of the wing had the brownish hue. The tail was almost
entirely white with the exception of a small brownish trapezoidal area at the
base of the tail. The wings appeared longer and thinner than the ring-billed
and herring gulls in the area. The flight pattern was more characteristic of a
Boniparte Gull than other species common along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
THe bird was observed in fading light conditions around 5:10PM. I watched the
bird from the southern to northern horizon at Fischer Creek, a UWGB property.
The bird flew in a southwest to north-northeasterly pattern into the middle of
Lake Michigan where I lost the individual as a speck.
Due to the unusuall plummage and coloration, I did not attempt to take a
photograph. I used every moment to create a thorough mental image of the bird
to ID it upon returning to the car. COnsulting my Sibley's and North American
NatGeo guides indicates the only possible identification is an immature
SABINE'S GULL.
I viewed the individual at about 200 yards until it veered into the middle of
the lake. I spotted the bird while looking south along the shoreline and
watched it for several minutes. I have no doubts in this conclusion . Sorry
for the late post as I've had other family and work obligations which prevented
this post in a timely manner.
If your in the Sheboygan - Manitowoc areas, keep an open eye. I hope someone
else can re-find and photograph the bird.
Jon Motquin
Freedom, Outagamie Co.
>
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