Your timing is good, Heath, for I have just completed a short article on this subject, in answer to my peers at work asking about the Gulls overhead each morning and evening.
=20 At sunset, for more than an hour, people leaving Best Buy's corporate office in Richfield have only to look up to witness a flight of thousands of gulls. Lakes Calhoun and Harriet are the roosting spots of choice for many gulls from all over the metro area. These birds are making their way to these lakes in long loose lines that pass by Penn Avenue and I-494. Each year, the gulls begin to make this daily flight in August. By late summer, the flock consists of nearly all Ring-Billed Gulls. Ring-Billed Gulls are a smaller gull, about the size of a crow. The flock grows in size through October and peaks at approximately 5,000. Herring Gulls are 30% bigger than Ring-Billed Gulls and gradually take over as the majority species. This pilgrimage continues through November, until ice forms a solid sheet across both lakes. Large species of gulls, mostly Herring Gulls, are most often found on Lake Calhoun and closer to shore. Smaller gulls, primarily Ring-Billed Gulls, tend to keep to the middle of the lake. This means gulls are more often close to shore on Lake Calhoun and easier to see. Hence, gull watchers tend to favor it for checking out the gulls. Many other species can also be found in this flock of gulls. Regular appearances occur for the Franklin's, Thayer's, and Bonaparte's Gulls. Glaucous Gulls and Lesser Black-Backed Gulls may be hard to find elsewhere in the state and have been known to frequent this spot nearly every year. Rare Gulls such as the Great Black- Backed, Iceland, California, and the Glaucous-Winged Gull (a first state record) have been seen here as well. The flock typically begins moving in within one-half hour of sunset and are often still streaming in an hour after sunset. Once settled the gulls preen and settle down to sleep. The birds can be seen as dark silhouettes against the reflection of the Twin Cities skyline on the water. =20 Wind direction and strength determines where the overall flock lands on the lakes. For instance, when winds are from the west, the gulls land closer to the western shore; if from the east, closer to that side. On very still days flocks disperse evenly, making it difficult to scan all the birds from one spot. Binoculars will help view the gulls, but a spotting scope is required to get views needed for proper identification. The colors and relative darkness of the back, wingtips and eyes should be seen well to identify most gulls. Beak and body size relative to surrounding birds is also vital. The key is to look for birds that differ from the birds around them and then work on determining what they are. There are many darker immature gulls to sort through. Since gulls change their appearance each year of their first two to four year of life, a good bird identification book such as Sibley's or National Geographic is needed for reference. Flocks seek larger deeper lakes for roosting. Lakes such as Lake Minnetonka fit this criterion and are also home to gulls roosting overnight. Steve Carlson and Paul Budde, members of the Minnesota Ornithologist's Union, have closely monitored these gull flocks since the early 1990's. Paul Budde remarks that if there were no people or landfills around, the normal migration pattern of the gulls would probably not include this prolonged stay in Minnesota. Most of these gulls come from the Burnsville dump and the Black Dog Power Plant along the Minnesota River. Some come from the east and may be seen flying parallel to Lake Street from the Mississippi River. One particular Iceland Gull was observed traveling daily from the Coon Rapids Dam in Anoka County to Lake Calhoun. This is one of the more interesting natural phenomena to occur in the state, and to witness it, (if you are in the right area at the right time of day), all you have to do is look up Careful though, for you may soon find yourself standing there along with us trying to pick out the single Thayer's Gull among the 3,000 Herring Gulls.=20 =20 Good birding, =20 Mark Alt, President Minnesota Ornithologist Union =20 =20 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- From: mou-net-ad...@cbs.umn.edu [mailto:mou-net-ad...@cbs.umn.edu] On Behalf Of Heath Renner Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 6:55 PM To: mou-...@cbs.umn.edu Subject: [MOU] A question about local seagulls =20 Hello, I have a question about local seagulls in the Twin Cities area. I am a bit of a novice in birding but I have noticed for a number of years that seagulls (I am not certain of the particular species) seem to hang around all year in the Twin Cities suburban areas. Years ago I don't remember seeing seagulls at all, in fact, I am not even certain that I saw them anytime during the year including the summer unless I was out at a lake. Am I simply just noticing something I've never noticed before? I don't tend to think so, as my uncle who resides in CA was commenting on how as a kid growing up in Anoka county he never saw seagulls around at all and now they seem to be everywhere. Any information on this? =20 Thank you for your time. =20 Heath _______________________________________________ MOU-net mailing list mou-...@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net_________________ MOU-net mailing list mou-...@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net