Subject: [Tweeters] kleptoparasitic Bonaparte's Gulls
Date: Nov 28 22:49:52 2011
From: Hans-Joachim Feddern - thefedderns at gmail.com


FYI -

Roger Hunt asked, if I did see any Snowy Owls this morning. No, I
personally did not see any either from Eide Road or later from Thomle Road,
however others saw at least one this morning and two this afternoon from
the later. I returned to Thomle Road shortly after sunset and found one
lonely birder scoping by the barn - my old friend Barb Deihl. She had one
Snowy Owl in her scope across the field on top of the dyke. We marvelled at
the evening flight of many thousands of Snow Geese returning to Skagit Bay
for the night. This is the same armada so vividly described by Jeff Gibson,
passing over the Anchor Pub in Everett every day.
In additon, a couple of birders from Mill Creek showed me two Snowy Owls at
Big Ditch. These were quite far out.looking north -right- when you come
from the parking lot, scanning from the dyke.

Good Birding!

Hans Feddern
Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA.

On Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 9:35 PM, Roger Hunt <roger at rogerandgloria.com>wrote:

> Hans
>
> Did you get Snowy Owls this morning?
>
> Roger
>
> On Nov 28, 2011, at 8:50 PM, Hans-Joachim Feddern wrote:
>
> Dennis, Tweeters.
>
> Funny that you should mention that! I observed the same thing this morning
> at the end of Eide Road in Stanwood. There were at least 1000 to 1500
> Dunlins, with a few Dowitchers (sp?) and Least Sandpipers, with the
> majority resting, but some of them feeding. Three immature Bonaparte's
> Gulls were in attendance with the feeding group and their aggressive
> behavior briefly put the whole Dunlin flock up in the air a couple of
> times. They did settle back quickly though. Now I wonder if these are the
> same three "bandidos" that Dennis saw at Hayton? Maybe they are following
> the Dunlin flock around? Something for the Dunlin study group on the list
> today to look into!
> What makes it interesting, is that Bonapartes' Gulls and Common Terns
> usually are the victims of jaegers.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Hans Feddern
>
> On Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 7:37 PM, Dennis Paulson <dennispaulson at comcast.net
> > wrote:
>
>> Hello, tweets.
>>
>> Yesterday morning (11/27), Netta Smith and I watched 3 immature
>> Bonaparte's Gulls at the Hayton Preserve, Fir Island, robbing from Dunlins.
>> There were many hundreds of Dunlins and a fair number of Black-bellied
>> Plovers feeding in the flooded field, and the three gulls perched among
>> them or flew around. When one would see a Dunlin pull a large earthworm out
>> of the ground, it would immediately give chase and would usually get the
>> sandpiper to drop the worm fairly quickly, then gobble it up. This went on
>> continuously for the half hour that we sat there watching them. I had never
>> seen Bonaparte's in these fields before and never seen them as
>> kleptoparasites, but there they were, a very special occasion.
>>
>> We saw about 40 Eurasian Collared-Doves together in Bow and about 20 in
>> Edison. They are taking over the Earth!
>> -----
>> Dennis Paulson
>> 1724 NE 98 St.
>> Seattle, WA 98115
>> 206-528-1382
>> dennispaulson at comcast.net
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
>
> --
> *Hans Feddern*
> Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA
> thefedderns at gmail.com
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
>


--
*Hans Feddern*
Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA
thefedderns at gmail.com
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