I made another quick stop at Aurora Reservoir late this afternoon, finding the lake mostly frozen. The largest patch of open water, not all that large, was on the southwest side. Closest access was from the marina, but a bit of a hike was required to get close to it. This patch of open water attracted about 1000 gulls and small numbers of geese and ducks.
Hybrids were the most noteworthy birds. A SNOW x CANADA GOOSE was there when I arrived, and then the GLAUCOUS-WINGED x HERRING GULL that has been reported previously showed up. But the highlight was the return of what we believe to be a LAUGHING x RING-BILLED GULL. I have not seen it there since Steve Mlodinow spotted it on November 24. It is slightly darker than the Ring-Billed Gulls with a mottled hood, eye arcs, and a mottled bill that is more dark than light. I am yet to get a good photo but got a low-quality one today: http://www.flickr.com/photos/76753483@N08/12375848183/ Other birds of interest included 3 immature GLAUCOUS GULLS and 2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS (y1 and y2/y3). No dark-mantled gulls were present, but I did not stay long and did not wait to see if there was an evening influx of gulls. David Dowell Longmont, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/e8c4cda4-9f19-4610-b52b-6267066c16ab%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
