[TopOfUtah] Glaucous Gull, etc. in Cache County

[Ryan O'Donnell]

Today I took a quick tour around Logan looking for birds.  Things seem
to be changing.  Much of the water that was frozen over a week or two
ago is now open.  There seem to be many more gulls and Canada Geese
around (no Cackling that I could find, and I've been looking).  In the
past two months I've been seeing mostly Ring-billed Gulls with a few
California Gulls mixed in and maybe a Herring Gull if I'm lucky.  Today
the Ring-billed Gulls and California Gulls were in about even numbers,
but I'd estimate I saw about five times as many total gulls today than
any other day in the last two months.  These gulls were all at the Logan
Landfill, Logan Fish Hatchery, or Cutler Marsh.  Herring Gulls also seem
to have increased not just in numbers but also in proportion to the
rest.  I saw at least ten, maybe twenty today.  The biggest find of the
day was an immature GLAUCOUS GULL in Cutler Marsh, near the first bridge
to the east of mile marker 104 on Highway 30.  This bird may have been
seen at the landfill earlier this week by Keith Archibald.  Here is a
digiscoped photo:
 
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n105/Tsirtalis/IMGP2890EditedSmall.jp
g
 
Other highlights in the last two days included a Short-eared Owl at
Cutler Marsh last night, a Barn Owl at the Logan Airport, and a flock of
about five American Tree Sparrows in Benson today.  I've also seen
courtship displays by Common Goldeneyes and Ring-necked Ducks today.
 
Good birding,
Ryan
 
Ryan P. O'Donnell
Department of Biology and the Ecology Center
Utah State University
5305 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-5305
 
http://home.comcast.net/~tsirtalis/