Post by Gord on Nov 7, 2006 20:55:18 GMT -8
Went out for some errends and checked on the gulls at Evans and Sumas Central on the way by.
Probably 2-3000 gulls. My quick look produced a Thayer's gull, juv California, over 100 mew gulls and the rest assorted usuals from what I could tell. Lots were far out and I didnt have time to set up the scope to see them very well.
The surprise was seeing a raptorish looking bird on a fence post about half way down Sumas Central. It looked to be all wings, and my hunch was correct, a short-eared owl. I turned around to get a picture. As I was taking, a second short-eared owl flew over the perched one and circled around and landed in the fields to the north. While doing this, it scared up a flock of about 30-40 birds that were mostly American pipits, but I heard several Lapland longspurs there as well making flight calls until they landed again. The owl on the pole then got bombed by a raven and it flew down to the edge of the road before the next car came and it went off and landed further out as well.
Probably 2-3000 gulls. My quick look produced a Thayer's gull, juv California, over 100 mew gulls and the rest assorted usuals from what I could tell. Lots were far out and I didnt have time to set up the scope to see them very well.
The surprise was seeing a raptorish looking bird on a fence post about half way down Sumas Central. It looked to be all wings, and my hunch was correct, a short-eared owl. I turned around to get a picture. As I was taking, a second short-eared owl flew over the perched one and circled around and landed in the fields to the north. While doing this, it scared up a flock of about 30-40 birds that were mostly American pipits, but I heard several Lapland longspurs there as well making flight calls until they landed again. The owl on the pole then got bombed by a raven and it flew down to the edge of the road before the next car came and it went off and landed further out as well.