[wisb] Re: FW: California Gull frustration
- From: Korducki <korducki@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: schaufenbuel@xxxxxxxxxxx, david@xxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:29:28 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
Tom was successful on a day with fairly strong ENE winds which moved many birds
to the beach. This may have added to his success. The later time may also be
a key.
Mark Korducki, New Berlin
-----Original Message-----
>From: Schaufenbuel <schaufenbuel@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Sent: Jul 21, 2009 10:20 PM
>To: david@xxxxxxxx
>Cc: wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [wisb] Re: FW: California Gull frustration
>
>Frustrating indeed.
>
>I spent over four hours today working the gulls at Interstate Beach and
>I am confident the bird was not there between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM
>today. I was planning on staying until 3:00 PM but more and more
>people came to chase the birds forcing a good number of gulls to move
>elsewhere.
>
>Joe Schaufenbuel
>Stevens Point,
>Portage Co., WI
>
>
>
>David, Karl H. wrote:
>> Here's my experience with the California Gull, originally sent just to
>> Tom Prestby.
>>
>>
>> Karl David
>>
>> Milwaukee
>>
>>
>>
>> From: David, Karl H.
>> Sent: Monday, July 20, 2009 11:40 AM
>> To: 'jjprestby@xxxxxxx'
>> Subject: California Gull frustration
>>
>>
>>
>> Tom,
>>
>>
>>
>> It was a frustrating weekend with the California Gull! Saturday evening
>> there were lots of gulls and eventually I singled one out asleep near
>> the edge of the beach with a darker mantle. It had its head tucked into
>> its back but the eye was definitely dark with a red orbital ring, and
>> this impression never changed [light-eyed gulls can sometimes briefly
>> appear to have dark irises; it must have something to do with blinking
>> and their nictitating membrane]. I stayed patiently on it and eventually
>> it stuck its head out and I got quick looks at the bill; some red near
>> the tip of the lower mandible, but (as you said) no black noticeable. In
>> any case, it wasn't a Ring-billed bill, not just by coloration but also
>> by size; and it wasn't a Herring Gull by the eyes and head shape and
>> size.
>>
>>
>>
>> Then a couple of preteen girls I was sharing the beach with decided it
>> would be great fun to run full speed at the gulls and flush them. When
>> they tired of their sport, I was unable to refind the bird. Just before
>> I left, I did think I had it, but that turned out (probably) to be one
>> of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls ... it had smudges on the head so I
>> knew it wasn't the California Gull, though I think these two gulls are
>> roughly the same size.
>>
>>
>>
>> Frustrating, so I came back Sunday evening. I studied your photos again
>> and decided just on head shape alone (the head looks too small for the
>> body) I would not confuse anything else with the California Gull. This
>> time an Illinois birder joined me, and we had decent numbers of birds.
>> Three hours, and nothing! However, I'm totally convinced it's because it
>> wasn't there ... we really worked the flock well. For whatever reasons
>> (light, wear, age) there were certainly gulls there with darker-looking
>> mantles, but they all turned out to be Ring-bills (as soon as we saw the
>> bill) or Herrings (as soon as we saw the pink legs). The good news was
>> that nothing fooled me into thinking it might be the California for very
>> long, whereas the bird I was studying at length Saturday never "lost"
>> the California impression. But, because it was lying down, I never saw
>> the greenish legs to help me confirm it, nor note the two-toned effect
>> of the bill ... it just looked like it had some red on the lower
>> mandible and a few other random smudgy marks.
>>
>>
>>
>> Masochist that I am, I will probably try again. The Illinois birder said
>> it was only being seen once every couple of weeks or so, so it must have
>> a number of spots it likes to frequent, and this is the only one
>> anyone's found so far.
>>
>>
>>
>> Karl
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>
>--
>---------------------------------------------
>Joe Schaufenbuel
>5676 Regent St.
>Stevens Point
>Portage County, WI 54481
>(715) 345-2788
>
>"The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
>the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
>'Eureka!' (I found it) but 'That's funny...'"
>--Isaac Asimov
>
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