[CT Birds] A Gulling mystery

[Dennis Varza]

High Folks

Because the moon was in last quarter I decided a little looksee to  
make sure the gulls were not barnacle feeding. That would support the  
full moon hypothesis. It was mid tide falling, So I did my Bridgeport  
run, and was  totally surprised.

St. Mary's is a bluff, people park there, eat lunch etc. at the base  
of the bluff there is a rip-rap of rocks. Not a single gull to be  
seen feeding in the rocks. There were no gulls on the guard rails to  
beg for food. I scanned across the way to Jennings Beach and there  
were no gulls on the beach. Over on Penfield Reef there were two  
groups of about 160 birds total, and another 150 in the water off the  
reef. There was about 500 greater Scaup in that area that flew to the  
east.

Over in Black Rock Harbor there were no gulls on any of the  pilings  
in the marinas! There were no gulls in Captain's Cove! On to Seaside  
Park. There were gulls there, a few small groups totaling about 500  
gulls. For the most part the beaches were empty.

Off shore at Seaside park there was a huge mixed congregation of  
Scaup and Brant streching from Fayerweather Island. to nearly the  
mouth of Bridgeport Harbor a distance of about a mile and a half. It  
was not a continuous raft but groups scattered along the length. I  
would estimate about a thousand Brant, and about 8 thousand Scaup.  
They looked to be barnacle feeding. Also there was over a hundred  
Common Goldeneye. Inside the harbor there were no gulls on the  
Pleasure Beach side. What about Stratford?

I went to Long Beach and there were no gulls the length of the  
parking lot. not even the Glaucous Gull. There was tape up at the end  
of the lot with police there so I couldn't get a good look at the  
length of the beach but it looked barren as well. There was the usual  
couple hundred Goldeneye down the beach and 300 mixed flock of Dunlin  
and Sanderling.

Over by the sea wall still no gulls. There is always a group of Ring- 
billed gulls by the diner there, they were gone.  Off shore all  
morning there were a few gulls flying off shore to the east, but, not  
a steady stream. On to Short Beach

At Short Beach there were finally gulls, mostly on the flats. I  
figured I saw about 3000 birds. That was a lot of birds but I am not  
sure if that represents all the gulls not seen elsewhere.

What is hapening here? I have no idea.

Bridgeport, 7:30 to 10:00 Ash Creek, Black Rock Harbor, Seaside Park

Brant	20	75	1145
Canada Goose	12	28	-
American Wigeon	24	10	34
American Black Duck	56	54	82
Mallard	10	78	8
Northern Pintail	0	1	1
Greater Scaup	500	4	8000
Lesser Scaup	-	58	-
Bufflehead	58	2	-
Common Goldeneye	120	2	120
Hooded Merganser	0	2	-
Red-breasted Merganser	32	18	4
Red-throated Loon	0	1	1
Horned Grebe	0	2	4
Great Cormorant	0	1	2
Mixed Gulls   	300 	0	0	-
Great Black-bacled Gull	1	0	1
Ring-billed Gull	-	-	256/3
Herring Gull  	-	-	228/43