ML298429961

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

First seen in Boulder Pond at 2:08 pm, then at the jetty. As with the Harris's Sparrow I found last winter, I did not know what I had but knew enough not to walk away. I spotted the small gull resting in Boulder Pond when I first began driving by it. I did several loops around the triangle there, as cars were coming, just to be sure to get a snap. I then parked to get a better look. It was incredibly petite with a tiny black bill and clean wingtips. At that point I ruled out Bonaparte and began to ponder little gull, never having seen one. I hastily began texting back-of-the-camera photos to folks. When I looked up it had disappeared from the pond, but suspected it had migrated to the jetty. I walked over and refound it flying back and forth along the beach, foraging. It then landed on the beach. At this point Ed Haesche, whom I had texted, appeared and also began taking photos. Nick Bonomo was the first to call me back with a correct ID. (Thanks, Nick!) I then immediately posted the sighting. Unfortunately, the bird vanished from view as it flew over the jetty, but luckily was again spotted out in the sound some time later. The only other sighting of this gull in Connecticut, according to ebird, was in 1984. Knowing Hammonasset and the gulls that live there, including Billy the mockingbird ;) who oversees that particular patch of real estate (yes, we're on a first name basis), it is very likely, IF it sticks, that the Ross's gull will return to Boulder Pond and/or the jetty, just as the Iceland does, which was also there at that time. For those unfamiliar with Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison CT, please go to my Hammo birding map graciously hosted by COA at https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/hammonasset-birding-map/. Then type in "jetty" or "Boulder Pond" in the upper left search tool to pinpoint the sighting of this bird. I would also appreciate, being a scopeless birder, that if you spotted any nifty shorebirds in the sound at that time, as long as they were spotted within CT Bird Atlas Block 120B (http://www.ctbirdatlas.org/Maps-Block-map.htm), to report those birds to ctbirdatlas. Thanks! I must say it was a darn cute bird, and really, once I reviewed my photos, pink!

Technical information

Model

NIKON D5200

ISO

800

Focal length

300 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/640 sec

Dimensions

2412 pixels x 1696 pixels

Original file size

759.88 KB