ML27791721

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

At 0615 this morning I was on Stateline Rd. (Hwy. 161) at Lower Klamath N.W.R. I came down here looking for an adult Little Blue Heron found yesterday by Mike Robbins and Ray Ekstrom. Much to my surprise at 0630 I found an adult alternate plumaged Laughing Gull at the tour route entrance. It wasn’t until about 0800 that I found the Little Blue Heron in a field about 1½ miles west of the tour route entrance. I was able to watch the Laughing Gull at my leisure and took several photos (see Photo section). After about 10 min. it flew south out of sight (but luckily, it had also flown over to the Oregon side once – 1st State record). I then left to go on looking for the Little Blue Heron. At 0730 I returned and it was back. It stayed a shorter time this time and left to the east crossing back and forth over Stateline Rd. between Klamath and Siskiyou Co’s. It was with a largish flock (30-40 birds) of gulls and terns (Calif., Ring-b., Caspian, Forster’s) that were feeding in a canal crossing with the tour route road. After that I finally saw the Little Blue Heron. Laughing Gull – Head: black hooded, eye dark with incomplete eyering white. Bill: red and larger (thicker) than a Franklin’s Gull. Mantle: dark gray merging to black wing tips., no white present in upper surface of wings except on trailing edge of secondaries. Nape & Tail white. Underparts: white. Legs and feet appeared dark, I did not discern color so could have been darkish red. Size: in between Forster’s Tern and Caspian Tern. Heavier bodied. see eBird list https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S44836555 for California side of this record.

Technical information

Dimensions

1200 pixels x 900 pixels

Original file size

138.37 KB