[CT Birds] 1/16 - Windsor-Bloomfield Landfill

[Nick Bonomo]

CTBirders,

Today I spent over 4 hours at the Windsor-Bloomfield Landfill
(09:30-12:00, 13:30-15:15). Gull numbers were impressive with quite a
bit of turnover. At any given time about 2,000 gulls were on the
property, but at one point an eagle flew over and put up a nearby
roost of gulls numbering about another 2,000 or so (came from the
direction of the Farmington River). So there were at least 4,000 large
gulls in the area today, coming and going, which I'm guessing is about
typical. The highlight was an impressive show of Kumlien's (Iceland)
Gulls, with 9 visibly different individuals seen throughout the day. I
was still finding new birds at 3pm. Another example of turnover: one
of the first birds I laid eyes on was a 3w/4w Lesser Black-backed
Gull, which quickly walked out of sight and was not seen again over
the 4 hours. Surprisingly no Glaucous Gulls (two on my last visit a
few weeks ago).

Highlights:
9 Kumlien's Gulls (5 1w, 2 2w, 1 3w/4w, 1 adult)
1 "Nelson's" Gull (1w)
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (3w/4w)

Nick Bonomo
Orange, CT