[CT Birds] Gull Stuff 4

Tue Mar 25 22:45:15 EDT 2008

Gull Stuff 4 17 to 23 March 2008

Here are some more observations on gulls. If you have any corrections
or additions I would really appreciate them.

I would like to thank everyone who contributed observations. The  
phenomenon of these Gull Gatherings seems to be irregular in time and  
space. That makes it difficult to study, particularly for one person.  
By working as a collective we may just get somewhere.

Right now my working hypothesis is that these plankton blooms is due  
to barnacle larvae. I would like to collect specimens, but when I can  
it doses not occur. And when It occurs I am not available (Murphy  
strikes again). Barnacles need hard substrates (rocky shores) So it  
would be unlikely to have Gull Gatherings south of Long Island. I  
also suspect that to have a large Gull Gathering one needs to have  
relatively calm water  so the larvae get stuck on the surface instead  
of mixing in the water column. If this is so then Gull Gatherings may  
not be found outside Long Island Sound and maybe not even in the  
eastern sound. Are the lack of reports from the east due to them not  
being seen or is no one looking? This may explain why it is only  
found from Stratford to Stamford. What about Long Island? I wonder if  
they are seeing it there? Does anyone have any contacts out there I  
may try?

Dennis Varza
Fairfield

Weather (from Sikorsky Airport)
17	Monday  	Wind Average 13.5	Wind Max 22	Direction 360° (N)
18	Tuesday 	Wind Average 6.5	Wind Max 12	Direction 130° (SE)
19	Wed-day	Wind Average 9.6	Wind Max 17	Direction 80° (E)
20	Thusday  	Wind Average 15.8	Wind Max 30	Direction 310° (NW)
21	Friday--- 	Wind Average 20.4	Wind Max 25	Direction 310° (NW)
22	Saturday	Wind Average 10.1	Wind Max 17	Direction 320° (NW)
23	Sunday   	Wind Average 8.4	Wind Max 18	Direction 220° (SW)

FULL MOON 21 MARCH

Topic 1 Gull Gatherings

This week all the action was off Stratford. Notice the biggest flocks  
were during a Full Moon. and it was after the period of strong winds.  
Also they occurred in the evening. I went out on the morning of the  
23rd. and only saw the effects of the rafts of gulls. They were  
feeding heavily among the rocks at low tide.

18 March 2008
Frank Mantlik, wIth Mike Moccio
Gulls	2500	On the water (Sound) feeding on plankton (75% Ring-billed,  
25% Herring, only 6 Bonaparte's).

22 MARCH 2008
Frank Mantlik
Stratford, foot of Cove Pl. (Park Blvd.) 5 -6 pm 1000's of gulls  
(3000?):  1000 BONAPARTE'S, 2000 Ring-billed, 1000 Herring - swimming/ 
feeding on ? plankton, as well as larger gulls using bills to scape  
food (barnacle spat?) off recently exposed rocks.
Several thousand more gulls resting on low-tide bars off Short Beach.  
Despite looking through all this larid biomass, I could not find any  
unusual species.

Topic 2 Small Gulls
The most interesting thing about the small gulls is that they are  
mostly adults. It will be interesting to see when the change in  
proportions occur.
Old Saybrook seems to be a dud for Small Gulls. Two other people and  
myself stopped there at low tide with no luck.

Bonaparte’s Gull
2008	3	17	300	Milford, Pond Point Beach towards BayView Beach @ 11 30  
a.m. Can be Accessed from Pelham Ave.	Stacy Hanks
2008	3	17	700	Milford, end of Platt St, at 2:30	Greg Hanisek with  
Bill Banks and Randy Domina
2008	3	17	30	Milford, Burwell Beach	Greg Hanisek with Bill Banks and  
Randy Domina	
2008	3	18	0	Old Saybrook, South Cove	Carolyn Cimino
2008	3	18	200	Milford, Woodmont Beach feeding on plankton at about  
1:00	Meredith Sampson w/ Penny Solum
2008	3	20	350	Stamford, Holly Pond	Dennis Varza
2008	3	20	0	Milford, 9:00AM	Phil Asprelli
2008	3	21	250	Stamford, Holly Pond	Meredith Sampson & Penny Solum
2008	3	21	0	Old Saybrook, South Cove	Dennis Varza
2008	3	22	0	Fairfield, Southport Beach	Dennis Varza
2008	3	22	33	Bridgeport Seaside Pk.	Dennis Varza
2008	3	22	1000	Stratford, Lordship	Frank Mantlik
2008	3	22	12	Fairfield, Southport Beach	Neil Currie and Tom Hook
2008	3	22	0	Old Saybrook, South Cove	John Ogren

Black-headed Gull
2008	3	17	1	Ad	Milford, Burwell Beach	Greg Hanisek with Bill Banks  
and Randy Domina
2008	3	20 to 21	1	Ad	Stamford, Holly Pond	Dennis Varza, Meredith  
Sampson & Penny Solum
2008	3	22	1	Ad	Fairfield, Southport Beach	Neil Currie and Tom Hook

Little Gull
2008	3	17	1	Ad	Milford, Burwell Beach 2:30	Greg Hanisek with Bill  
Banks and Randy Domina
2008	3	18	1	Ad	Milford, Woodmont Beach feeding on plankton at about  
1:00	Meredith Sampson w/ Penny Solum
2008	3	20	0		Milford, 9:00AM	Phil Asprelli

Topic 3 Big Gulls
In the 80’s before the dump closings Herring Gulls were the most  
common nesting gull in the Norwalk Islands. When I went out a couple  
of years ago the Herring Gulls were gone but Great Black-backed Gulls  
were present. On the 20th, There was a sand bar in Norwalk Harbor  
with 40 birds. Lately they are seen in pairs scattered about

Topic 4 White-winged Gulls
It is interesting that all the Iceland Gulls are First Winter. One  
seems to be resident in the Hartford Area the ones on the shore seem  
to be transients. The 3rd winter Lesser Black-backed Gull is  
interesting. One was at Seaside Park in Bridgeport for a couple of  
days back in February. Same Bird?

Iceland Gull
2008	3	18	1	1W	Wethersfield,	Paul Cianfaglione
2008	3	20	1	1W	Milford, Merwin Pt.	Frank Mantlik
2008	3	20	1	1W	Farmington, Batterson Pond	Paul Cianfaglione
2008	3	22	1	1W	Madison, Hammonassett St. Pk.	Rick Macsuga

Lesser Black Backed Gull
2008	3	19	1	3W	East Hartford, near Cabela's	Andrew Dasinger
2008	3	20	1	3W	Farmington, Batterson Pond	Paul Cianfaglione
2008	3	20	1	Ad	Westport, Burring Hill Beach	Dennis Varza
2008	3	21	1	1W	Hartford, Riverside Park	Andrew Dasinger and Bill  
Asteriades