Larimer County Gulls

December 26, 2018

Richard Stevens:

High temperature was 43 degrees.  Winds measured only 3-4 degrees.

Terry Michaels and I drove up and down Horsetooth Mountain Reservoir an hour before sunrise.  Finally, we observed the Black-legged Kittiwake flying back and forth over the southern end of the Lake.

Afterwards we headed to the Larimer County Landfill (Larimer).  Regrettably, many of the previously reported uncommon gulls were not around.  A first winter Glaucous Gull was the best find.

We then tried many of the adjacent reservoirs, lakes and State Park.  No uncommon gulls were found.

Our final stop was Warren Lake (suggested by a local birder that we ran into).  A Lesser Black-backed Gull, Iceland Gulls, another or same Glaucous Gull and another black backed Gull were observed here.

If this mystery black backed Gull was the same bird reported as a Slaty-backed Gull, we could not confirm it.  It appeared to be similar in size to a nearby Lesser Black-backed Gull.

While leg color was wrong for a Lesser Black-backed Gull, other field marks did not fit a Slaty-backed Gull.  These field marks included size and head shape.

After dark, we went owling along CR 38E (south end of Horsetooth Reservoir), Masonville and CR 27.  Unfortunately, no owls were heard or seen this night.  

Our "owl listening stations" did not pick up any owl sounds either.