Greg Neise and I recently spent a day birding with Jim Pawlicki on the American side of the Niagara River. It was a fun day of watching gulls, including this gorgeous adult California Gull:
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| CAGU. Devil's Hole SP, NY; 28 December 2012. |
We also got great looks at this individual:
This bird's identity had been questioned by several observers, causing brief confusion. This was mainly because it was observed at a distance in flight, giving the impression of a Slaty-backed.
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| In its childish, drunkin' state. |
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| Seen from behind, with a 1st cycle Herring Gull (facing the observer). |
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| We finally came to the consensus that this is a juvenile Thayer's Gull, a good bird for the Niagara region. |
There was also this NE American Herring:
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| The extensive white tip to P10 thayeri-like pattern on P9 is suggestive of the so-called Newfoundland population. |
And a couple more Kumlien's:
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| Adult Kumlien's Gull with Herrings. |
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| 2nd cycle Kumlien's Gull. |
And some miscellaneous shots:
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| American Herring Summit! |
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| A "pink" Ring-billed with extra bright bare parts. |
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| GBBG (left), LBBG (right). |
Jim introduced us to his local passerines that come right in to the sound of his whistle:
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| Greg releasing his powers into this Tufted Titmouse. |
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| The Robert Moses Hydroelectric Power Station. This is part of what attracts so many gulls! |
And finally, this young Red-tailed came right for my head with its landing gear (talons) extended:
Evidently, it thought my trooper hat was a rabbit or squirrel. If it wasn't for Jim's last second warning and me flinching, it probably would've put a "little" scratch on me. Now mind you, our bodies were concealed behind a brick wall and all this bird can see from the other side of the river was our heads. Here's the famous hat:
