[mou] Fwd: [sd-birds] Update on the yearly Black-headed Gull and the Green Violet-ear in Sioux City

[Jim Williams]

forward by Jim Williams
Wayzata, Minnesota

Begin forwarded message:

From: douglas chapman <foodrev@sio.midco.net>
Date: September 19, 2006 10:11:23 PM CDT
To: sd-birds@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [sd-birds] Update on the yearly Black-headed Gull and the 
Green Violet-ear in Sioux City

Thought some would be interested.

  Doug Chapman
  Sioux Falls,

  This morning the Green Violet-Ear was still coming to the Sioux City
  feeder until at least 9:30 AM when I left. It was quite cold (low
  40s), but the Violet-Ear remained faithful to his schedule (as I'm
  told) by showing up every 20 minutes or so and then leaving after a
  couple sips at the feeder. I saw it very well while it perched in
  the backyard tree in between a couple of feedings, it also chased
  away one of the two RT Hummingbirds at one point.
  From here I decided to make a day of it and try for the Black-headed
  Gull at Spirit Lake. Just north of Sioux City on my way to HWY 60 I
  saw a Eurasian Collared Dove fly across the highway. Lots of Tree
  and Barn Swallows working the road along Spirit Lake. Also hundreds
  of Gulls following tractors around off of HWY 9 as you come into
  Spirit Lake, I assumed they were RBilleds so I didn't stop...but I
  just re-read Jay Gilliam's post and saw that many of them may have
  been Franklin's, guess I was in too much of hurry to see the BHeaded.

  At "The Grade" the Black-headed Gull was nicely perched on the jetty
  rocks, along with a Herring Gull. Three Forster's Terns were working
  this area. The BH Gull seemed to make a few half-hearted attempts at
  plucking the swallows from the air (the wind was quite fierce) and at
  one point jumped on a plunge-diving Forster's Tern's back (either
  going for the Tern or the Tern's meal I guess). A Merlin made a
  sweep past the dock at water level which was quite cool. A Sora
  called from the MN side.

  --
  Jason Paulios
  Iowa City, IA
Jpaulios@earthlink.net