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This afternoon Pomera and I met
Colby Neuman at the Bountiful Landfill at 2 p.m. We had a great time for
about 2 hours and were able to see some great gulls. We were finally
rewarded with seeing the (what we think is a 2nd year) Lesser Black-backed Gull
and a juvenile Glaucous-winged Gull.
Birds seen included the
following in various phases, from juvenile to adult:
California
Gull
Ring-billed
Gull
Herring
Gull
Thayer's
Gull
Lesser Black-backed
Gull
Glaucous-winged
Gull
Along, I then went to
Farmington Bay in search of some kind of owl. Near the classrooms there
was a Red-tailed Hawk in the trees. That was followed by a flock of
about 12 Green-winged Teal in the pond to the east, bathing in the small patch
of open water. I saw several Northern Harrier, but the first was on the
left side of the road, on the way to Egg Island There was also a Bald
Eagle and 2 Red-tails in the trees to the south--one very close to the
road. At the first culvert on the west dike there were 18 Bald Eagle and
about the same number of Great Blue Heron. As I approached the second
bridge a Barn Owl flew up from the right side of the road, with what
looked like a Vole in its talons. It flew a small distance then landed in
some weeds. It wasn't hiding well enough, since I had great looks at
its heart-shaped face. More Northern Harriers and a pair of American
Kestrels were also seen in this area.
On my way out I glanced back
and saw the Barn Owl again pounce on a prey of some sort. Good
news.
It was very cold, but a
great day for birding. Thanks Pomera and especially Colby. Good luck
in your next year at Cornell!
Glenn
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