Tonight at around 6:40 pm, I found a Franklin's Gull at Hillman Marsh in Leamington. It was standing on some mud with a few hundred Ring-billed and Herring Gulls in the south side of the marsh. It stood out due to its notably small size and darker mantle, and it had a black head, dark legs, and small beak. It took flight shortly after I noticed it (managed to get a poor but diagnostic photo before it flew) and once it flew I saw that its upper wings were pretty uniform dark grey, with blackish tips and a white trailing edge.
Also, I saw 9 Snow Geese again at the same location, as well as a group of 8 Cackling Geese. The rain really limited my view so although I did not see Greater White-fronted Geese, it's pretty likely that they were still present too. Directions: Hillman Marsh is about 7km East of Leamington in Essex County. From Leamington, travel East on Seacliffe Dr/Mersea Rd 1 until it reaches a dead end where the road is blocked by a steel gate. Walk past this steel gate onto the blocked road. The marsh is to your left. I only walked about 200-300m to view the Franklin's Gull and rare geese. Good luck, and happy birding! Sent from my iPhone _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
