SABINE'S GULL AT RIMROCK LAKE

27 SEPTEMBER 2013



The adult plumaged SABINE'S GULL ahowed nicely late this afternoon on
westernmost Rimrock Lake. I watched it habitually pick at the waters surface
and wondered if this bird is feasting on Kokanee Salmon eggs. An estimated
quarter million kokanee reside in Rimrock Lake and this is their spawning
period upstream on the Clear Creek gravels. As Luke Safford observed, this
bird was again observed exactly a year later at the same spot. So, is this
the same bird as last years? Though Rimrock Lake is clearly off the beaten
track for this species, I wish to think our lost gull blundered onto this
feast last year and gained so much weight that it remembered Yakima Counties
buffet and "got lost" again this year, thus making its long journey to the
species wintering grounds in Humboldt Current waters off South America a
breeze.


American Wigeon 10
Common Merganser 135
Bald Eagle 3
Sabine's Gull 1 Continuing adult.

California Gull 80
Common Raven 15



Andy Stepniewski

Wapato WA

steppie at nwinfo.net