Another winter and another Utah Birders Gullstravaganza in the books.  It comes and goes so quickly every year, to the point that I am already thinking about 2017 and our next event.  Every year we seem to learn something new--some years it contradicts with things we've learned in the past, and makes this even ever changing to fit the year.  This year we learned that when you have an early thaw, it can really throw things into turmoil if you keep a late February date for the event.  Last year on the same weekend there was ice, wind, and snow.  This year it was sun, mud and water.  Anyways let's talk shop and get to it.

An impressive line of Gullers at the bay!

We had an absolutely great turnout for the event with 36 intrepid larus enthusiasts congregating at Farmington Bay for our annual gull trip.  The group was a great mix of old and new faces and names, and ranged in age from little kids, to well seasoned birders.  The weather was truly beautiful--sunny, and right around 50 degrees--something that isn't normal for this date.  After the group was mostly there, we carpooled up and headed down west dike to see what we could find...

And what we found were RING-BILLED GULLS.  Lots and lots of Ring-billed Gulls.  In fact, at 1,200 individuals this was the most common species we encountered of the day.  To be fair there were an estimated 2,500 gulls too far away to identify.  Large rafts of gulls sat in distant corners of the bay, obscured by heat waves and distance.  Notably there was no ice on the water, and the gulls were spread far and thin.  Like a evenly buttered piece of toast, it seemed like the birds had been laid out evenly across the bay, making it difficult to scan and compare shapes and sizes, as often there weren't birds "nearby" to compare to.

Utah's State Bird...The errr, California Gull

But this did not matter--we came for gulls so we looked for gulls!  We started to pick out our second species, the Utah state bird, the CALIFORNIA GULL in small numbers mixed in with the Ring-billed.  Eventually we came across a distant HERRING GULL, and finally a stop turned up 4 more Herrings close enough for everyone to get good looks.  We might just be able to pull out enough gull species to make the day a "stravaganza".

Adult Herring Gull on what little ice remained...

Eventually we made it to the 4-way at the end of the road and scanned for gulls here.  Notably present--much of the same from the drive in--except more California Gulls entered the fray.  To the southeast there was a nice mix of the 3 species and the movement of gulls in and out out was promising.  Eventually we turned up a 1st winter LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL.  Then a second, and before the day was over Mike Hearell and Taylor Abbot picked out an adult that joined the raucous.

A small part of the group got looks at a THAYER'S GULL, but this usually common enough species was quite difficult to track down.  After most of the party had left for the day we were able to find an adult in the area.  5 species of gulls for the day.  Surprisingly this isn't the least amount of species we've had on this trip, and its only 1 less that what I would call "average".  Still comparing this to last year where we had 7 species as well as hybrids, it seems tame.  The three main reasons this years event didn't have the species count I always dream of, was due to the open water (lack of ice congregating birds), the fact DNR didn't do a carp kill here (still shaking my head on that one), and luck.  In the previous couple days both Mew and Glaucous-winged Gull had been see here.  Luck goes a long ways...

As the group parted, Mike, Taylor, and I made our way up west dike, and spotted an interesting Herring/Thayer's Type bird.  The smallish (for a Herring) bird had a rounded head, smallish bill, large window on P10 underside--but had a yellow eye, and apparently quite a bit of black on the underside of the primaries.  So is this a tiny Herring, or an abberant Thayer's Gull?  Gotta love gulls!

Herring or Thayer's? You be the Judge!

I love this field trip though.  Getting a large group of birders together to hang out for a couple hours, and just talk birds--gulls none-the-less!  We did see a few other birds as well--I tallied 43 species on the afternoon.  A small flock of WESTERN GREBES had arrived on the bay, while small flocks of WHITE-FACED IBIS and SANDHILL CRANE were present too.  The TUNDRA SWANS were present in small numbers and at a distance as well.  Near the entrance a flock of a dozen or so HOODED MERGANSERS were lounging on the water,  And on Glovers Lane a CACKLING GOOSE was hanging with a flock of Canada Geese as I took off for the day.

Tundra Swans against the Wasatch

In all we raised $150 for Great Salt Lake Audubon with this event this year--and we learned some things to help plan next years event.  The truth is you never know what you're going to get till the trip happens. Weather, food, and so many other things have to fall into place just right.  At the end of the day though, it was a great day spent looking at gulls with a fun group of Utah Birders!

eBird Checklist

Wow, what a January!  Looking back in all the years I've lived in Utah I can't remember a year starting off with such a bang.  For starters I don't think anyone can help but notice the big month Kenny Frisch had.  Just check out the eBird Top 100... He destroyed the biggest January record which was 158 species in 2013 by Dennis Shirley. That 158 was impressive, but Kenny topped the charts at 177 species for the month! I personally had my biggest January ever, so there must have been something in the water.  In comparison, in 2007 when I did my Utah Big Year I got 122 which seemed like a lot of work... In fact I didn't hit 170 till March 31st! I guess I have some competition this year!

Kenny's month is actually the biggest winter month ever in Utah--that's November, December, January, February, and March! So congrats Kenny!

January was a big month in general with 177 verified eBird reports and a handful of sightings that have yet been reviewed--the month total will likely be somewhere in the mid 180's.  That's a big January!

Some of the birds were down right impressive.  How about:

Laughing Gull (2nd report ever)

photo by Mike Hearell

Purple Finch (2nd or 3rd report)

photo by Tim Avery

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (2nd report)

photo by Tim Avery

Brown Pelican (between 5-10 reports)

photo by Stephanie Greenwood

Red-headed Woodpecker (3rd non historical)

photo by Tim Avery

Iceland Gull (5-10 reports)

photo by Tim Avery

Those are some great birds! The weather this January was very un-January-like and that could have impacted things.  Although the expected snows and winter storms that often bring in great birds from the north never materialized, great birds still showed up.  Southern Utah saw handfuls of great stuff, and most of the birds were long staying so lots of people got to see them.  Is this type of January the new normal in Utah?  It would drastically change birding going forward, seeming more Arizona-like than what we're used too.

How's February looking so far?  Well Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, so 6 more weeks of winter... I hope not.  Or I guess if today's forecast is how those 6 weeks will go I am okay with that.  What does that mean for birding?  IF it continues to be mild the birding should be much like it was throughout January.  Expect some early northbound migrants, or earlier than normal arrivals and departures for the month.  This includes geese, gulls, and swans.  February albeit being typically a slow month in Utah for birding, has a few notable events this month.

Bald Eagle Day - Sat, Feb 14th

The ever-popular Bald Eagle Day will be on Saturday, February 14, 2015. Viewing times will vary depending on which site you'll be visiting: Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fountain Green State Fish Hatchery from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Split Mountain/Green River from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Rush Lake Ranch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

5th Annual Gullstravaganza - Sat, Feb 21st

Every winter as California Gulls congregate on the edges of the Great Salt Lake to search for food at nearby landfills, parks, wildlife management areas, and anywhere that may have open fresh water--other gulls that stray from their normal winter ranges end up mixed in.This creates one of most unique inland gulling hot spots in the nation. Along with the thousands of California Gulls are smaller numbers of Ring-billed Gulls, and decent numbers of Herring Gulls. Mixed in with those you are likely to find a few Thayer's Gulls. Aside from those 4 species a handful of others show up every year including: Glaucous, Glaucous-winged, Mew, Lesser Black-backed, Western, and Iceland.

Delta Snow Goose Festival - Feb 27-28th

Early each spring, thousands of Snow Geese begin their 3,000 mile voyage home to Canada's northwest territories. Starting from where they winter in Southern California & Mexico, these travelers navigate their way home with amazing precision and faithfulness. Delta, Utah is privileged to be situated along their annual migration route. Come join us for this year's annual Delta Snow Goose Festival! Bring your camera and be ready to join the fun.

2015 is off to a great start, an this should be a great February for birding in Utah!