At 245 PM today (Friday, June 10, 2011) the Western Gull was loafing on its favorite sand spit at the Plum Creek delta on the southeast side of Chatfield Reservoir. Also on the sand spit were five Ring-billed Gulls, four Double-crested Cormorants, two American White Pelicans, and one Killdeer.
For most of the half-hour that I sat on a log nearby, the Western Gull dozed as did the other birds, even when a man in a small pontoon craft with an outboard motor cruised by about 30 feet away. Occasionally the Western Gull stood up and obligingly stretched a wing, which allowed me to see the large white mirror on P10. As others have noted, the gull has a damaged left leg and does not appear to put much weight on it. Its left leg is not completely useless, however, as I saw the gull lift this leg and scratch the back of its head several times. Just a quick side note about another flying object: At the model airplane field nearby, someone had a model jet fighter that was powered by an actual jet engine. At first I thought I was seeing (and hearing!) a full-size jet fighter at a distance, but it was truly a model jet close by. I was very impressed by the aerobatics of this minature jet. Gene Ellis Boulder, Colorado Just a quick side note about another flying object: At the model airplane field nearby, someone had a model jet fighter that was powered by an actual jet engine. At first I thought I was seeing (and hearing!) a full-size jet fighter at a distance, but it was truly a model jet close by. I was very impressed by the aerobatics of this minature jet. Gene Ellis Boulder, Colorado -- 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.
