COBirders, If you aren't tired of hearing about the Cherry Creek Ross's Gull, I watched this bird for a few minutes on the marina sand spit early this morning with Ira and Tammie Sanders before it flew. This spot was reported as one of this bird's favorite locations. In a spotting scope you can see large piles of droppings on the sand near the pelicans. Although I didn't see the Ross's Gull specifically pecking in the droppings, the gull did probe the top of the sand and gravel of the shoreline of the sandy spit while walking the entire length of the longer spit. I had the extremely good fortune of observing hundreds of Ross's Gulls near the famous point near Barrow, Alaska, as part of a Ross's Gull fall migration study quite a few years ago. The birds there actively foraged only on the surface within a foot of the shore where the <1-foot surf crashed; the Ross's Gull at Jumbo Reservoir in 1983 did the same, pecking at small items in the frothy surf, only on the surface where waves were crashing against the Jumbo Res Dam. Although Glenn has an awesome photo of The Gull with a gizzard shad in its beak, I wonder if it can really swallow a fish that big with its tiny bill and mouth. In the Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 3, the authors state that almost nothing is known about the diet of this species but then they go on to say Ross's Gulls eat mostly insects while breeding and in migration they feed on wave-washed scum, plankton, some small fish, and also on occasion they have been observed feeding on walrus scat. This makes me wonder if the piles of pelican and maybe goose droppings on that sand spit attracts this small gull there.
Regardless, when viewed in the air and on the sand spit it is a very exciting bird to watch. If photographers do capture gull images with identifiable food items in the bird's bill it might be noteworthy. I think Glenn's ROGU photo with the gizzard shad in its bill is totally amazing. Enjoy this one while it lasts. Bill Maynard Colorado Springs ____________________________________________________________ Mortgage Rates Hit 2.67%! If you owe under $729k you probably qualify for Gov't Refi Programs http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4ceaf11c25ee73253fest03duc -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
