Visit to coast doesn't end well
for Ross's gull
By Carina Woudenberg
Jan 18, 2017
Bird enthusiasts near and far
were treated to a visit last week from an elusive gull that
appeared Thursday in a Pillar Point Harbor parking lot — far from its
breeding grounds in the high Arctic.
Known as the Ross’s gull, this
special bird is often at the top of the “must see” list for many in the know.
Sightings are infrequent and that rarity adds to its allure.
Typically, Ross’s gulls don’t
venture too far from their icy tundra of a habitat in the most unpopulated
northern reaches of the high latitudes, experts say. Sometimes the bird will
venture as far south as Alaska for the winter and while sightings have been
reported in Canada and sometimes on the East Coast of the United States, it’s
really unusual to see one come as far south as California.
In fact, last week’s sighting was
only the second ever reported in the state. The gull was also spotted at Salton
Sea in 2006.
The bird is smaller than many
other gulls — lending it a sort of delicate presence that is only enhanced by
its blush pink chest and necklace-like markings around its neck. To the
untrained eye, the bird could be mistaken as a pigeon, save for its webbed
feet, perhaps.
The bird has enjoyed celebratory
status since the mid-1970s. It was considered one of the first rare birds
discovered when it was found in Massachusetts in 1975, said local birding
expert Alvaro Jaramillo.
“At that time they considered it
the bird of the century,” he said.
In the Coastside’s first
appearance, discoverer Don Pendleton spotted it just before 2 p.m. on
Thursday near the RV lot by Pillar Point Harbor. Pendleton had a hunch that he
had landed on something special. He called up fellow bird enthusiast and El
Granada resident Donna Pomeroy and she rushed over.
Together, the pair identified the
bird as the elusive gull. Pomeroy took photos to make sure the sighting would
be documented and they each called and sent out messages to more of their
bird-loving friends.
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