Thursday March 2nd - Slaty-backed Gull

 

Thursday March 2nd – Slaty-backed Gull

          Once again Thursday was a free day, no bridge or mah jongg games, platform tennis or yoga etc.  So, we could not resist chasing a Slaty-backed Gull which is a mega rarity throughout most of North America.  This bird turned up on the lakefront in downtown Cleveland and had been seen pretty regularly for at least a week.        

          Slaty-backed Gulls are normally found along the coastline of northeastern Asia and are regular summer visitors to western Alaska in small numbers.  In winter, they have appeared as a rare stray at scattered places in North America.  The Slaty-backed Gull is a large dark-mantled gull with pink legs and a distinctive white “string of pearls” between the gray and black on its wingtips.  It also has a dark blotch or smudge around the eye.

          We arrived at Wendy Park and walked out to the abandoned coast guard station which is where the bird had been seen.  There were hundreds of gulls in the water but fortunately not many were black-backed gulls.  We found a suspicious bird and after much study and observation both in the water and flying, we were confident that we had indeed found the Slaty-backed Gull.  The only other time we had seen this bird was in Alaska.

          While in the Cleveland area we made a couple of other stops.  First, we made another fruitless search for the North Saw-whet Owl which has eluded us all winter.  Then we stopped at Sims Park in Euclid and saw two female Black Scoters bobbing up and down in the choppy lake. No photos today.  Birds too far away.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

January Summary

Image
  February 1 st           The first month of our Birding Big Year has drawn to a close.   Mike and I have worked hard to find the important winter target birds as well as some rarities.  We are pleased with our progress.   Here is a list of the winter target birds that we have found:           Snow Goose                                           Snowy Owl           Ross’s Goose                                        Long-eared Owl           Greater White-fronted Goose                   Short-eared Owl           Cackling Goose                                       Northern Saw-whet Owl           White-winged Scoter                               Northern Shrike           Long-tailed Duck                                    Purple Finch           Iceland Gull                                            Common Redpoll           Glaucous Gull                                         Lapland Longspur           Rough-legged Hawk                                Snow Bunting
Read more

Chuck-will's-widow

Image
  May 22 nd             This morning Mike and I left for southern Ohio but took a round about way of getting there.   First, we went east to Lorain to look for several birds that had been reported there.   We did find a Cattle Egret at the Lorain Impoundment which is a marshy area near the boat launch and pier.   Cattle Egrets are common in the South but are scarce in Ohio.   Our view of the egret was somewhat obstructed, but it was definitely in full breeding plumage.           From here we headed south for our destination which was Shawnee State Park.   Some of you will remember that we were here just about a month ago with Ann and Howard Rosenberg. That trip ended with the “stomach flu” episode.   We arrived about 4:00pm today and went out for a walk.   There had been a report of a pair of Mississippi Kites seen near the firepit in the cabin area.   We found the spot and immediately saw a kite perched high on a dead snag.   As Mike was taking pictures, I spotted the second kite.
Read more

Saturday March 25th - Black-legged Kittiwake

Image
  Saturday March 25 th – Black-legged Kittiwake           A Black-legged Kittiwake had been hanging around at the Spitzer Riverside Marina in Lorain, Ohio for more than a week and was seen by many birders.   Mike and I had actually gone to chase this bird the previous Sunday without success.   Since so many people had found the bird, we decided to give it one more try.           We drove 1 ½ hours to Lorain, pulled up to the marina and immediately saw the kittiwake floating by itself really close by.   Mike was able to get some great pictures, and it was worth the trip.   This is only the second time we have seen a Black-legged Kittiwake in Ohio.   The previous time was in 2015.           A Black-legged Kittiwake is a type of gull that gets its name because of the shrill sound of its call “kittee-wa-aaake”.   A kittiwake is a small gull and the breeding adults are pale gray above with black wingtips, white below and a yellow bill. The legs are jet black.   Juveniles are quite st
Read more