[Birdtalk] Another Gull Species at Lee Kay

[Kristin Purdy]

Whoopee! I get to report yet another gull species at Lee Kay Ponds in Salt Lake County. I saw a FRANKLIN'S GULL there today. I'm reporting this gull not normally found in the winter in Utah to boost my self-esteem because I didn't see any of the celebrity gulls (Western, Lesser Black-backed, Thay-landic) in two hours of searching. I did, however, see a second-winter GLAUCOUS GULL, perhaps the one Kathy and Joel reported, and an adult GLAUCOUS, perhaps the one reported by the Giddings-Shirley crew, along with the other "usual" winter semi-rarities.

I decided not to fight the light and walked due south through the closed gate at the entrance. I also had a chair with me; I plunked down on the road almost parallel with the south edge of both ponds--the west one and the east one, which y'all may call the main pond (the gazebo overlooks the east/main pond). The perspective gave me a decent angle on both ponds in early afternoon without having the sun in my face with the gulls backlit. I wasn't able to scan the entire main pond; the area almost directly south of the gazebo was out of reach for a good scan even with a scope. Maybe that's where all the celebrities were hanging out--it seemed like there were thousands of gulls there. 

Walking all the way to the south side of the pond would improve the lighting immensely and according to Cathleen Caron's note on Lee Kay Ponds in the Utahbirds.org Places to Bird link, walking past the gates is allowed. 

Kris
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