[cayugabirds-l] Little Gull continues
I’m in the south Aurora bay area where the LITTLE GULL is showing well. Just heard a Common Loon call. I’m at 42.729536. -76.710215 Accuracy: 16 ft Also 2 Northern Shovelers male and about 160 Bonapartes Jared Dawson Trumansburg -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Little Gull south of Aurora
a Little Gull is with about 100 Bonaparte’s Gulls fairly close to shore, south end of Aurora bluffs. Spotted by Bob McGuire. -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Little Gull in Union Springs Wednesday
Hi all, I went to Union Springs Wednesday afternoon to look for the reported Little Gulls. Ann Mitchell and Susan Danskin were to join up later after work. I scanned quite a while from Frontenac Park enjoying the double digit numbers of BONAPARTE'S GULLS, COMMON TERNS, the occasional FORESTER'S TERN, CASPIAN TERN and near 1000 Double-crested CORMORANTS. The raucous calls of the terns and gulls made the area sound like the seashore. I saw one candidate, a few times, for an immature Little Gull flying over the Marina break wall, but needed a better look and was reluctant to call for any kind of success. Ann and Susan were scanning from the Marina at that time. After joining them to check out a gull they had picked out, buried in a sitting flock, we were treated to stellar views of the LITTLE GULL as movement cleared the view of one of the nearby docks. As sometimes happens I reached for my phone to get a photo and it picked up to fly out over the lake. The other gulls flew when someone walked out and around the wall. We never saw a second Little Gull, but with all the birds on that end of the lake it isn't surprising. Two perch fishermen had earlier told me that many more "little gulls" were on the lake north of the point in Union Springs. Gary -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Little Gull, other migrants
Hi all, This morning I found an adult LITTLE GULL in a flock of Bonaparte's Gulls on the water distant off Stewart Park. I'm only posting now because, shortly after sending out a rare bird alert text to the RBA group, the bird took flight with the Bonaparte's and headed north up the lake. Observers at Myers and Taughannock were unsuccessful in finding the Little Gull, despite seeing good numbers of Bonaparte's. As others have noted, this morning was quite active for landbird migrants as well. I started the morning with a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, HOUSE WREN, and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH in our yard in Northeast Ithaca, the latter especially being a good record for the neighborhood, despite breeding only a few blocks away at Sapsucker Woods. YELLOW WARBLERS were here at the Lab and at Stewart Park, as well as good numbers of Yellow-rumped and a nice YELLOW PALM WARBLER here at Sapsucker Woods. Myers had at least four GREATER and two LESSER YELLOWLEGS on the sandbar of the creek, along with a continuing female NORTHERN PINTAIL and male GREEN-WINGED TEAL. Offshore we found three LONG-TAILED DUCKS and two or more RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS. Swallows were not much in evidence off the point, but I just heard from Logan Kahle that he has seen several CLIFF SWALLOWS this morning off the Myers Marina area. Finally, I have seen reports of ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, EASTERN KINGBIRD, CHIMNEY SWIFT, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER from various parts of Tompkins County so far today. Jay -- Jay McGowan Macaulay Library Cornell Lab of Ornithology jw...@cornell.edu -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Little Gull, Mackenzie-Childs bluffs
An adult LITTLE GULL was just on the water off the Mackenzie-Childs bluffs just north of Aurora. At 855 it took off with a few Bonaparte's and headed south towards Aurora. Lots of Bonaparte's in Aurora Bay and off Long Point for it to hang out with. Jay -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] LITTLE GULL northwestern Cayuga Lake
3:13pm Sat 11 Dec Tim Lenz reported an adult LITTLE GULL on the ice on Lower Lake Rd. Although he said "in Canoga" I think he may be refering to the next settlement north of Canoga, just inside the Town of Seneca Falls along NYS 89 called Bridgeport. I believe Lower Lake Rd goes past the Cayuga Lake State Park boat ramp. --Dave Nutter
[cayugabirds-l] little gull apology
I've been meaning to apologize for being so slow in reporting the Little Gull from Myers last week- it was an hour before I could get to a computer and report it. I guess I should (a) have my cell phone with me, and (b) have somebody's phone number so I could report things. I do stop by Myers often, but haven't seen anything worth urgent reporting in a long time. The Little Gull was a wonderful surprise- I noticed it at quite a distance as it approached from the north, got great looks as it came close by the point. I know the species pretty well from Europe, and I got very nice looks at the features that distinguish it from Bonapartes. I sure wish it had stopped here John Greenly Ludlowville -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] LITTLE GULL
A first winter LITTLE GULL flew past Myers ( I think would have stopped there but a dog flushed the gulls off the spit just as it approached) at about 8 am this morning, heading south. Might be worth a look at the south end of the lake. --John Greenly Ludlowville -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Little Gull at Myers/ World Series of Birding
Cayugabirders, An adult Little Gull flew by Myers Point, Lansing (Tompkins Co.) heading north with about 15 Bonaparte's Gulls this morning. Also present was a continuing large swallow flock including many Barn and Bank Swallows and smaller numbers of Tree, N. Rough-winged, and Cliff Swallows (2 of those). Additionally, I enjoyed close looks at a singing Bay-breasted Warbler in a short spruce between Robert Purcell Community Center and Delta Gamma on Cornell's north campus. I also wanted to mention that this Saturday, May 15th, is the World Series of Birding in New Jersey. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has two teams participating, the Sapsuckers who compete in the whole state of NJ, and the Redheads student team that sticks to Cape May County. The scouting report thusfar indicates that even though weather has been uncooperative in NJ (with lots of wind), the birds are falling into place for the Big Day. To find out more about this important conservation fundraiser or make a pledge donation to either team, check out the Lab's website: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/wsb/ Thanks! Tom -- Thomas Brodie Johnson Ithaca, NY t...@cornell.edu mobile: 717.991.5727 -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Little Gull?
Hi Sydney, Thanks for sharing your sighting and your notes from the field. Based on the notes you've shared, it sounds like this bird was a Bonaparte's Gull that happened to be a smaller individual. Here are the things that lead me to say this: Little Gull (in any plumage) can be immediately ruled out based on the upperwing pattern. This species never shows the white triangle on the upperwing that is present on both Bonaparte's Gull and Black-headed Gull. (Adult Little Gull can be additionally ruled out by the lack of dark underwings.) Black-headed Gull can be ruled out by a combination of underwing pattern and size. As Sibley shows, the outer part of the underwing of a Black-headed Gull shows a striking contrast between the white outermost primaries and the dark/black primaries immediately inside of these. (While Sibley shows much of the rest of the Black-headed Gull underwing as being white, my experience is that the interior underwing can look darker than that.) In terms of size, Black-headed Gull is actually larger than Bonaparte's Gull (see Sibley for relevant measurements). Finally, despite its name, Black-headed Gull's hood color is actually more brownish than blackish, although this could be difficult to discern from a distance. Your description of wing pattern sounds perfect for Bonaparte's Gull. Regarding your impression of this bird looking smaller than other Bonaparte's Gulls, I don't know how striking the difference might have been to you. But, having spent a lot of time studying Bonaparte's Gulls in the past, I will say that there is a fair amount of individual variation in size in this species. While trying to pick out the rare Little Gull in amongst hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls, I have sometimes come across small gulls that caused me to inspect them more carefully, with the hope that they might be Little Gulls. On most occasions, though, these small gulls prove to be not Little Gulls, but simply smaller Bonaparte's Gulls. A few other quick thoughts to share with you and others as you look at Bonaparte's Gulls in the next few weeks: As I mentioned last weekend, Bonaparte's Gulls do have red legs during the breeding season. I can see how Sibley would be a source of confusion on this issue. The head pattern of Bonaparte's Gull is highly variable at this time of year. Yesterday morning, Jay McGowan and I saw birds that ranged from full black hoods to black ear dots, with partially hooded birds in between. There are certain spring migrants, such as Bonaparte's Gull, the rare Little Gull, and Common Tern, that tend to migrate north over Cayuga Lake very quickly. They might stop briefly at Stewart Park or Myers, and in some cases will linger for most of a day, but in many cases, they might only stop and be visible for a matter of hours or minutes. So, although there was a Little Gull at Myers yesterday morning, it was (sadly) only there for about 30 minutes before continuing its northward migration. I hope this is helpful. It's great that so many people are scrutinizing our small gulls so carefully! Good birding, Matt Medler Ithaca - Original Message From: Sydney F Penner To: Upstate NY Birding Sent: Sat, April 10, 2010 12:50:31 PM Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Little Gull? I saw a gull at Myers Point just before noon that initially struck me as an adult LITTLE GULL. I know that one was reported yesterday and so that makes me more inclined to think that what I saw was in fact a Little Gull. But a couple of points made me start to doubt that identification. I got great looks of it and so have quite extensive notes and sketches; here are some of the more salient notes: - very small (looked smaller than the Bonaparte's in the area) - black head (though with significant white speckling); the black mask, however, was less extensive than what I would expect of a Little Gull, black turned up sharply towards back; almost no black was visible when viewed from the back (the black hood of the Black-headed Gull in Sibley looks about right) - underside of the wings did NOT look at all dark to me; instead they were pretty much white with black-tipped primaries - bright red legs; very visible in flight - upper side of wings were light gray, with black-tipped primaries; there was a clear, distinct fairly wide white edge on the front of the wing (again, the picture in Sibley of a Black-headed Gull in flight looks exactly right) Basically, some of the features (e.g., size) made me think Little Gull; others (e.g., wing colouration) made me think Black-headed. But I'm not very familiar with these gulls, so help would be much appreciated. The gull was leisurely moving north, foraging along the shore as it went. When I left Myers Point at 12:15 it was still visible to the north but quite distant. Sydney Penner 43 N. Landon Rd. Ithaca,
[cayugabirds-l] Little Gull?
I saw a gull at Myers Point just before noon that initially struck me as an adult LITTLE GULL. I know that one was reported yesterday and so that makes me more inclined to think that what I saw was in fact a Little Gull. But a couple of points made me start to doubt that identification. I got great looks of it and so have quite extensive notes and sketches; here are some of the more salient notes: - very small (looked smaller than the Bonaparte's in the area) - black head (though with significant white speckling); the black mask, however, was less extensive than what I would expect of a Little Gull, black turned up sharply towards back; almost no black was visible when viewed from the back (the black hood of the Black-headed Gull in Sibley looks about right) - underside of the wings did NOT look at all dark to me; instead they were pretty much white with black-tipped primaries - bright red legs; very visible in flight - upper side of wings were light gray, with black-tipped primaries; there was a clear, distinct fairly wide white edge on the front of the wing (again, the picture in Sibley of a Black-headed Gull in flight looks exactly right) Basically, some of the features (e.g., size) made me think Little Gull; others (e.g., wing colouration) made me think Black-headed. But I'm not very familiar with these gulls, so help would be much appreciated. The gull was leisurely moving north, foraging along the shore as it went. When I left Myers Point at 12:15 it was still visible to the north but quite distant. Sydney Penner 43 N. Landon Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850 -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Little Gull, Myers Point
Adult LITTLE GULL with Bonaparte's north of spit at Myers. Jay McGowan -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
