Lesser Black-backed Gulls - 27 Oct 2013


I surveyed southern Monroe Co. this morning to see if the high winds from yesterday brought anything interesting into the area.  I started out at Lotus Rd. and found a large flock of ~3500 Ring-billed Gulls crowded in the shallow portion of the creek bed.  Water levels were low as a result of the winds and lots of exposed mudflats were visible from the road.  Unfortunately I found no shorebirds.

Among the gulls were at least nine Lesser Black-backed Gulls.  Of those birds, four were 1st cycle birds still in juvenal plumage.  Note the uniform brown feathers on the wings and back.  Each one is outlined with a uniform white fringe that gives the bird a scaly look. The dark eyeshadow is visible on this bird, which also shows a uniformly dark, large bill.  These digiscoped images were taken at 75X eyepiece magnification and 30mm lens magnification on the Nikon V1 and Zeiss Diascope w/ Digidapter™ for better than 6075 mm focal length.



Lotus Rd. mudflats, Monroe, Michigan, US
Oct 27, 2013 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.124 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     I surveyed southern Monroe Co. this morning to see if the high winds from yesterday brought anything interesting into the area.  I started out at Lotus Rd. and found a large flock of ~3500 Ring-billed Gulls crowded in the shallow portion of the creek bed.  Water levels were low as a result of the winds and lots of exposed mudflats were visible from the road.  Unfortunately I found no shorebirds.
3 species

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  3500
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  24
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)  9     adults w/ black backs and yellow legs, dirty heads. 4 were 1st cycle. From blog post: four were 1st cycle birds still in juvenal plumage.  Note the uniform brown feathers on the wings and back.  Each one is outlined with a uniform white fringe that gives the bird a scaly look. The dark eyeshadow is visible on this bird, which also shows a uniformly dark, large bill.  These digiscoped images were taken at 75X eyepiece magnification and 30mm lens magnification on the Nikon V1 and Zeiss Diascope w/ Digidapter™ for better than 6075 mm focal length.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S100920819

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

I then drove over to the foot of Erie Rd. and walked the Lake Erie shoreline in front of the J.R. Whiting Power Plant.  Among the ~400 Bonaparte's Gulls were a half-dozen Forster's Terns and 1 Great Black-backed Gull.  Six Great Blue Herons occupied the shoreline south of the discharge canal while dozens of Double-crested Cormorants  flew along the horizon.


A flock of 20 shorebirds (guessing Dunlin) flew by at a distance heading north toward Luna Pier. So I headed back and drove to the foot of Luna Pier Rd.  

J.R. Whiting Power Plant, Monroe, Michigan, US
Oct 27, 2013 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.3 mile(s)
6 species

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  20
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  350
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)  1
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  6
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  24
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  6

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S163218568

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Not much was going on, but I did witness a steady stream of Tree Swallows moving along the shoreline to the south.  Groups of 5-6 birds were passing by every 30 seconds or so.  Two more Great Black-backed Gulls were drifting out in the open waters north of the pier.

The Pier at Luna Pier, Monroe, Michigan, US
Oct 27, 2013 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.2 mile(s)
4 species

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  20
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  10
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)  2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  85     Not much was going on, but I did witness a steady stream of Tree Swallows moving along the shoreline to the south.  Groups of 5-6 birds were passing by every 30 seconds or so. I counted close to 100 swallows in the time I was there.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S163218803

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

A stop at Sterling State Park yielded a nice mix of ducks in the ponds surrounded by the old bike trail.  Mallard were mixing with Gadwall, Wood Duck, dozens of Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, and American Wigeon.  A couple dozen Great Egrets were still hanging around, as were several American Coot.

Sterling SP, Monroe, Michigan, US
Oct 27, 2013 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
8 species

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  8
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)  24
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  6
American Wigeon (Mareca americana)  4
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  16
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  7
American Coot (Fulica americana)  5
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  22

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S163219035

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)