My Dad and I spent several hours (11am till dusk) around the falls, checking from the control gates to below the falls, on both the American and Canadian sides of the river. We somehow managed to miss the bird the entire day (we left goat island at 2:55pm), but both weather and gulls were very interesting. The river itself was flowing as powerfully as I had ever seen it (in the morning), with no exposed rocks anywhere on the river due to the high waters. By the end of the day, the gates had been closed and water levels were returning to normal. Some wind gusts were also amazingly powerful, and snow squalls in the morning made viewing difficult. Throughout the day, mist from the falls would freeze, and hit your face as painful ice pellets whenever in range. Below the falls, at 11am, most of the water between the American and Canadian falls was open, but less than 2 hours later, ice had re-built up to covering most of the water again. Very large numbers of Gulls in flight and at rest today.
Gull observations included 3 1st ba. Thayer's Gulls, 3 Kumlien's Iceland Gulls, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Glaucous Gulls, 1 3rd ba. Nelson's Gull (Herring X Glaucous hybrid). Ring-billed Gull numbers seem very high to me. Herring Gull numbers seem low, but tend to increase greatly (personal observation) on weekends due to landfills and other commercial operations being closed, forcing them back to the river early to feed. Very few Bonaparte's Gulls around when the water was high, but numbers increased as the water lowered. I had a surprising 3 1st ba. Bonaparte's Gulls on the 28th, but none today. The last Gull highlight was a probable hybrid Lesser Black-backed Gull x Herring Gull... The bird was an adult, and showed several features of Yellow-legged Gull including a noticeably paler mantle than a Lesser Black-backed Gull, a bright yellow bill with a strong red gonydeal spot, a pale iris, apparently yellow legs with no pink tones (that i could tell at a distance) and a large (Herring-Gull size) with a "mean" look and a large powerful looking bill (even compared to the Herring Gulls). The main feature against Yellow-legged Gull was fairly heavy brownish head streaking, whereas Yellow-legged Gull should have an un-marked head by now. I wonder if this bird would cause more confusion if seen later in the spring once it attains breeding plumage. Either way, a fun gull to keep an eye out for while searching for the Ross's. So while the Ross's is still around, its not always an easy thing to see! There were few birders on the Canadian side today, so more observers might make getting this bird easier. Good Birding! Brandon Holden Hamilton, ON www.PeregrinePrints.com _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
