On a slow taxi day I had time to check Stewart Park a couple times this afternoon. Around 2pm I was scanning the gulls which were resting on the new lake ice near the dock and large pavilion. It was mostly Herring with a few Great Black-backed and Ring-billed Gulls. One sleeping adult gull was notable for having a pink blush on the breast and belly. It looked like a Ring-billed Gull in size compared to one standing nearby and in general pattern - light gray mantle, black wingtips with white spots (white spots perhaps a bit on the large side), some gray streaking on the hind-crown or nape. It lay on the ice, so I did not see its legs, and its head was tucked, so I did not see its bill, nor eye, nor face. I think it was a Ring-billed Gull. It seemed too big for a Franklin’s and lacking the very dark hind-crown and not dark enough on the mantle. Still the pink breast/belly was intriguing. I took a couple digiscoped photos which showed the pink, but not as intensely as I noticed it, and I’m willing to share them. If anyone else has noticed such a bird or has theories about what it is and how it got that way, I’m interested.
I returned around 3:30pm hoping the pink gull had woken or changed position, but I did not refind it - either it was hidden by more Herring Gulls, or it had left. Nor did I see it in a distant cursory scope view of the resting gulls on the ice along the east edge of the lake south of East Shore Park, nor in the group on the ice off the Swan Pond. In other news today, while driving through Cass Park (on actual taxi business) I saw a pair of adult Bald Eagles flying south together at a height and manner which suggested that it was a local pair. The female/larger bird was slightly in the lead, and dipped her wings once. It didn’t surprise me to see eagles acting like they were pair bonding in such wintry weather, but this may be on the early side for them. In the past week or so I have also seen Red-tailed Hawks sitting in pairs in a couple places. This did seem early to me. I think of Red-tailed Hawk pairing happening in March. Folks who pay more attention to such behaviors and calendars are welcome to chime in. On a more local note, I think Regi Teasley may be monopolizing the West Hill Pine Siskin flock with her many feeders and shell-less seeds. I saw one Pine Sisken there above a feeder today as I took a slight taxi detour and I think I saw a crowd of them there on a feeder on Wednesday as I took a legitimate taxi trip. We haven’t seen any Pine Siskins at our place since Tuesday, although we had at least 11 on Sunday the 18th, which was also the day I noticed the first-of-season American Tree Sparrow in our back yard, but not near any feeders. - - Dave Nutter -- 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/ --
