pbedell's Favorites

See:
http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2091917
for yesterday's obs in this same area and for context.

This was a day we observed one of the amazing phenomena of nature regarding bird migration, and specifically, Ross’s Gull migration. Weather conditions for humans was very tough with temps of 22-24 degrees F and a very stiff NE wind ranging from 20 to 30 mph all day long. Isaac and I arrived at the base of the point at Barrow about 9:45 AM just after there was enough light to see. We started seeing Ross’s Gulls heading NE along the coast, typically from 100-300 meters offshore. They were mainly in loose groups of 5 to 25 individuals with a few minutes between groups. We took many photos, but it was dark and overcast and conditions for photos difficult. Most of out shots were taken at 3200 ISO in order to have any decent shutter speed, and with the birds 100 to 300 meters away it made photo ops challenging at best…..but we got shots. The conditions for humans was such that we could stand about 5 minutes outside before we had to seek shelter in the car. We were bundled in long underwear, many layers of warm clothing and parkas, but it was COLD! To make a long story short, we tallied 600-800 Ross’s Gulls between 9:45 AM and noon when the movement slowed down considerably. Can you believe 600-800 Ross’s Gulls! We were not using a scope, just binocs. I have no idea how many Ross's Gulls were moving NE along the coast beyond our vision but I am satisfied that multiple thousands of Ross's Gulls migrated past Barrow on this day. The birds were not stopping to feed, but simply moving against the strong wind with ease. Two other small groups of observers independently tallied over 1000 Ross’s Gulls this day in nearby spots along this same area of shoreline. The shoreline where you can view these birds is probably 7-10 miles long so just wherever you happen to plant yourself is where you can look from. It was an amazing spectacle, but we still have not had any of these birds very close so we are still hoping for that really close encounter that can happen. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, this species is likely the most seldom seen of North American gulls (and certainly one of the most beautiful) and most U.S. observers will never see one. To see 600+ in one day is just unbelievable. I will post several images of adult and immature birds to give an idea of the scope of the migration and what we saw. We have one more morning to try again, then back to Texas.

Image 1 shows an immature Ross's Gull leading an adult bird.

Image 2 shows 11 Ross's at a distance. This is a typical binocular view.

Image 3 shows 10 Ross's Gulls. The lead bird is immature.

Image 4 shows 2 immature Ross's Gulls

Image 5 shows 4 birds

Image 6 shows a nice adult, still quite pink.

Image 7 shows an adult not showing much pink

Image 8 shows two pink adults