Mid-morning today, I scanned the aggregation of gulls sitting on the ice on Little Lake. The gulls were all along the open channel down the centre of the lake.Between 200 and 300 gulls were present when I arrived at around 1015h this morning. Amongst the Herrings and lesser numbers of Ring-bills were: Great Black-backed Gull – 2 (adults); Lesser Black-backed Gull – 2(1 adult winter with a very dusky head giving the initial impression of a dark-hooded gull, and a 1st-winter individual); Glaucous Gull – 5 (1 adult, 2-1st winter, and 2-2nd winter), and Iceland Gull – 7 (2 adults, 5-1st winter). I went on to Mervin Line east of Airport Rd.After some time broadcasting Red-bellied Woodpecker calls and giving Barred Owl imitations, an uncharacteristically quiet male Red-bellied Woodpecker appeared from the south side of the road. The only other bird of note for me today was a 2nd year male Red-winged Blackbird with starlings visiting a feeder on Drummond Line just south of the Old Norwood Rd.
Location: Little Lake, Mervin Line and Drummond Line
Observer: Don Sutherland
