Before stopping there I visited a couple of other local standbys - Lake Los Carneros and Goleta Beach. At Lake Los Carneros there was a tidy-looking adult Mew Gull, and this odd creature:
A Strange California Gull
My first impression was a California Gull due to the leg color, but the overall ratty appearance and ridiculous bill threw me off for awhile. After returning home I got confirmation on the species.
There was another Mew Gull at Goleta Beach, likely the one that was there on my last visit. When I arrived at the sewerage ponds one of the first birds I noticed was a stylish Bonaparte's Gull. It was turning out to be a gullish morning.
One reason for heading to the sewerage ponds was to follow up on a recent report of a Greater Scaup. I had seen this species earlier in the year but did not get photos. Also, it is always a challenge for me to try and separate the Greater and Lesser Scaup so some practice in this would be good too.
There were indeed plenty of ducks to be found, mostly Mallards and Northern Shovelers. There were also a few Pintails, Cinnamon and Blue-winged Teal. And Scaup. I spent a good bit of time studying the Scaup and taking photos of the one that looked most likely to me to be the Greater Scaup, based mainly on the shape of its head. I sent the photo below to a couple local experts who confirmed the ID for me. Maybe I am getting a handle on the Scaup thing.
Greater Scaup
No new birds today but another fine morning with the birds.
A few more photos from this morning:
Mew Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Gadwall - male
Northern Pintail - male
Cinnamon Teal - male
After today the year's total still stands at 269
The Score: Vermont 265, Green Big Year 269
The Score: Vermont 265, Green Big Year 269
Today I rode a total of 30.0 miles
More later,
Glenn
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