On Sunday Bob Gorman and I had an intensive study of a gull south of Ottawa
that closely matched a Slaty-backed Gull. A detailed report will be
deposited with the Ontario records committee, however, anyone interested in
seeing the bird should be looking for a bird slightly larger than normal for
a Herring Gull with an appreciably darker mantle and a white head faintly
streaked with brown. The undersurface of the wing has the "classic"
Slaty-backed pattern, e.g. outermost primaries tipped black with white
subterminal spots in outermost primaries, a broad white trailing edge to the
secondaries continuing into the area behind the black tip and a broad gray
"smudge" forming a wedge behind this (this is well illustrated in the Sibley
book). The legs were dull pink.
We watched the bird for about 45 min. in the late morning before putting out
an alert. There was one subsequent report late in the afternoon at a
location several kilometers away. We saw the bird in a short grass field on
the south side of Bankfield road. The location can be easily accessed from
the 416 by taking the bankfield exit east, it is the first such field on the
southside of the road. Large numbers of gull accumlate in fields along
Bankfield road after feeding at the Trail road dump (also accesible from the
416; take the Bankfield road West to Moodie Drive, turn right, the dump is
to your right when you get to Trail Road. Unfortunately the dump has been
recently declared off limits for birders). If you are going to look for the
bird I would recommend that you drive the roads in this general area
checking out any gull flocks you see; the 2nd report Sunday was near the
corner of Bankfield and Eagleson Roads. Another good site is the field
immediately north of the Tim Hortons at the corner of River Road and Mitch
Owens Road on the east side of Manotick: on Sunday there were 3 adult LBB
Gull and a Kumlien's here. If there are any subsequent reports of this bird
I would appreciate being informed.
There was a major fallout of birds in the Ottawa area yesterday, presumably
a late push of artic migrants grounded by light rain overnight. These
included small flocks of waders in flooded fields (75+ Dunlin, 5 Pectoral,
10 Greater Yellowlegs) and large numbers of adult gulls: I had a total of 7
Lesser Black-backed (6 adult, 1 1st year) and one adult Kumlien's.
Mark Gawn
Ottawa, Canada
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