Lisa and I just got finished birding at San Luis Lake State Park where I had reported in previous posts about the variety of gulls present this year. It is due largely because of a fish die-off, that left thousands of dead carp along the shore.
Today we had Herring, Franklin's, Ring-billed and the San Luis Valley's tentative first record of Lesser Black-backed Gull, adult, transition to winter plumage. The bird was on the north end of the lake, but could be anywhere along the lakes shore. Look for its dark mantle compared to the lighter Ring-billed and Herrings. The bird was photographed too. You think that alone would account for a great day, but the icing was also seeing an adult, chocolate-colored Black Bear, watering along the edge and very likely gorging on the dead fish. We eventually birded within 70 yards of him, as he bedded on a high dune and watched us doing our thing. He was not in the best of shape...a gimpy back foot and not very robust (probably not enough birders to eat out there!). Anyway, be on the lookout. Seems we are having a high number of occurrences of Black Bears in Alamosa, at Blanca Wetlands, and now here was one too. This is the best gull year I think I have ever seen in the Valley in many years of birding here.... Good birding all. John Rawinski Monte Vista, CO PS: To Joyce and the Rare bird folks: Please add the Lesser Black Backed Gull to the Rare Bird Alert for Alamosa County. Thank you. -- 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.
