| Rough-legged Hawk 1 | Shiawassee NWR, SA |
Counted a massive group of Ring-billed Gulls that were resting on the east end of the property on a recently fly-ash, filled pond. There were a very small number of four other gull species with them. Counted the massive group in 100 increments. 6K were resting on the fly ash. Another 4K were estimated in the air over the discharge channel and open bay. The 284 were counted when I first came into the property not knowing that I wouldn't be counting by ones. The resting group picked up twice and re-landed. The video below shows them in flight. A steady stream of Bonaparte's Gulls flew left to right, low over the bay for roughly fifteen minutes, which gave me a good opportunity to count them in an orderly fashion starting at around 6:00PM. Counted in tens. The gulls appear to be collecting at the base of the bay due to an abundant supply of gizzard shad. While I counted the Bonaparte's Gulls in my spotting scope, the entire mass of gulls flew out over the bay and many formed three huge columns of kettling gulls. They all continued to drift northeast over the bay. When I drove back up the discharge channel to leave at dusk, there were less than twenty-five gulls on and around the property. Quite an exodus!
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June 2020
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