[Maine-birds] Re: White-winged Gulls

Hi,

I would like to reinforce Chris's pitch for the Eastport=Lubec-Campobello Is. area.  During the 1990's I lead a group of birders from the St. Louis area for a boat trip out of Eastport looking for alcids & gulls during the first week of January.  We had a full nor'easter that day but still went out.  We crept down the protected side of Indian Island with Deer Island on our port side.  Iceland gulls and herring gulls were equally abundant.  We could not travel beyond the tip of Indian Island where the full brunt of the storm hit us.  We sat for awhile with our nose into the wind (note, I did not say noses).  We tallied over 200 Iceland gulls (I have to find my old notes as it may have been over 300). It was spectacular in spite of the weather conditions. 

We could no use bins after about 20-30 minutes because snow kept filling the eyecups (but not melting or building up ice).  The birds were mostly resting on the water and gently lifting up then drifting back down to the surface (groups of 25).  Our estimate was extremely conservative as viewing conditions were not good beyond a couple of hundred feet.  We counted Icelands while traveling back.  They were not moving much so we avoided duplication.  We only noticed one glaucous gull bu, again, visibility was limited.  We managed to get a brief view of two razorbills flying away.  We did a spin around the salmon aquaculture facility in Carryingplace Cove where they were killing fish on a barge.  The blood mixed with the fresh snow was aesthetically pleasing, a mixture of different shades of translucent pink.  Krill were still abundant but the concentration of gulls diminished during the last week of Jan.  I cannot recall the number of kittiwakes mixed in.  The Icelands were behaving like kittiwakes under those conditions.

Wishing he was in Eastport,

Norm Famous, looking at a black-legged chickadee in Augusta

On Thu, Dec 13, 2012 at 7:18 AM, Christopher Bartlett <christophabartlett@gmail.com> wrote:

Eastport, Lubec, and Campobello all afford good viewing opportunities for Iceland (Kumlien's) gulls when the conditions are right.  Glacous gulls are much scarcer, but still regular visitors. Bill, Chuck, and I counted over 50 Icelands and two glaucous at Casco Island (near Campobello) during a boat ride last January. That was my high count for the winter, and I often saw up to a dozen Icelands during a weekend.

The gulls pile up when krill are blown into shallow waters.  The feeding frenzies are in Eastport when the wind blows from the south and in Lubec/Campobello when the wind blows from the north.   I would be happy to alert Linda and Pete of gull scrums in my area and show them around if they come my way.  

The Connor's Bros. fish packing plant in Black's Harbor, NB has had reports of up to 1000 Iceland gulls in recent years.  I've seen at least 100 there as well as glaucous, lesser black back, and black-headed.  Security does not allow birders to roam the property, but I was allowed to park and overlook the expansive roof tops where the birds roost. The company may consider special arrangements for researchers.

Hope this helps.

Chris 

On Wed, Dec 12, 2012 at 10:44 PM, Bob Duchesne <duchesne@midmaine.com> wrote:

Tough one. Prospect Harbor was always my #1 site. Mill Creek Shopping Center in South Portland was always my second favorite. I've had good luck at Biddeford Pool.

 

I'll tell you what: I took a guy to Campobello in February and, at the northern tip of the island, I was shocked to find that they were ALL Iceland Gulls on that day. Wow.

 

Bob

 

From: Clark Moseley [mailto:an.doc.mo.72@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 9:52 PM
To: Becky Marvil
Cc: Sal Rooney; Leslie Clapp; Norm Famous; Bill Townsend; Chuck Whitney; Chris Bartlett; Bob Duchesne; Seth Benz; Seth Benz (wk)
Subject: Re: White-winged Gulls

 

Stinson Seafood processing plant in Prospect Harbor, Maine closed down several years ago.  It was certainly one of the best places, if not the best place for laraphiles to aggregate to during our Maine winters.  You may remember that this was the last sardine processing plant in the lower 48 states to disappear.  What a loss to the birders in the lower 48.; especially here in Maine.  There was talk that the plant might start processing lobster.  I'm not sure that this has come to fruition but if it has it would probably start attracting white-wingers again. 

 

I believe that there is a place in Cutler that attracts some large numbers of gulls at times but I'm not sure where; and of course there's Eastport Maine.  Maybe we can get some feed back from Norm, Bill, Chuck, Chris, Bob, Seth?
 

On Tue, Dec 11, 2012 at 3:36 PM, Becky Marvil <bmarvil@maine.rr.com> wrote:

Hi Sal, Leslie, and Chip,

 

I'm checking to see if you all have some winter gull locations for spotting Iceland and Glaucous Gulls.  Pete and Linda Dunne are coming to Maine to study them.  Originally they were going to hang around the Portland area, but I'm not going to be around  when they come, so they have decided to stay with their friend on Deer Isle.  Now they need to figure out where to find the gulls up there.

 

Any suggestions would be most appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Becky

 

 

-------------------------

Becky Marvil

21 Spar Circle

Yarmouth, ME 04096

(207) 650-7332

 

 

--

Clark "Chip" Moseley
PO Box 151/198 Pertville Rd.
Sedgwick, ME 04676

Hm. Phone:  207.359.2558

Cell Phone:  207.812.0461 (seldom used)

Camp Phone:  207.672.3603

 

--

Norman Famous, Wetlands and Wildlife Ecologist

513 Eight Rod Road

Augusta, ME 04330

(207) 623 6072

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