Search for the Ross's Gull

Nov 21, 2013  6 am start

Judith, Rick and I gave up one of Tony's outings to drive to Chambly Québec to try for this rarity.  I am sorry to report that we were not successful.

After an uneventful drive via the new Hwy 30, we went straight to the sewage ponds.  There was nobody there and few gulls, so we went to Timmy's, then over to the river by the fort.  Here we saw a couple of birders, but no gull. 

We tried a location on the lake where we saw Vermont birders - same result.  We were told that the gull had been present at 7 am and 9 am (the latter when we arrive at the lagoons!) but had been spooked by a Peregrine Falcon and sped away towards the far side of the lake.  We could see some distant gulls circling, so we drove around to the far side.  But as so often happens, when we got there, they seemed to be back where we had come from.

We went back to the lagoons where there were several birders, including some that Rick had met in Florida (Noreen).  There were only Bonaparte Gulls, so after a bit we returned to the lake.  We spent the rest of the afternoon there as other birders shuffled back and forth between there and the lagoons.  In the end, it was a no show.  We drove back home arriving almost exactly 12 hours after we had left.

 

 

Bird List

1. Red-tailed Hawk
2. Rough-legged Hawk
3. Blue Jay
4. Bonaparte Gull
5. Mallard
6. Ring-billed Gull
7. American Black Duck
8. Great Black-backed Gull
9. Common Loon
10. Hooded Merganser
11. Common Goldeneye
12. Red-breasted Merganser
13. Common Merganser (hundreds)
14. Herring Gull