Saw the juvenile Sabine's Gull this morning. The bird was quite unaffected by the nearby birders, which I have found characteristic of several of the high latitude species. It flew around the parking lot with good agility. the flight pattern reminded me of a barn swallow with its many twists and turns, only a larger, lumbering version. It seemed quite successful in its hunt for food. At the entrance to the parking lot the gull flew by a similar sized juvenile Sharp-shinned lurking in ambush in the trees. The short flurry attack of the hawk was answered with an almost effortless avoidance maneuver by the gull. The gull settled to the pavement about twenty feet from the encounter. After a few seconds, the gull resumed its hunt, flying again right by the waiting hawk, and again easily sidestepping its charge.
I thought the gull appeared alert, agile, and in good condition, despite its apparent lack of a set of functioning legs. A beautiful bird. Steve Weston on Quiggley Lake in Eagan, MN swest...@comcast.net
