Gbbc Field Trip Surprise!

Fair, sunny skies outweighed the early cold temps for our 2020 GBBC lakes survey.

Our first lake, Balboa presented us with a loons, horned and pied-billed grebes, the expected diving ducks and a mystery bird. Larger than a hawk, smaller than an eagle.

Knowing it was something unusual for the Village our speculation ranged from silly, scooters to really rare, a brown booby. Eventually, we decided maybe a large gull. We don't get many gulls locally so we needed expert advice.

Janet Rowe's fine ID pic was sent to one of the state's best birders, especially good with gulls. His call- a first winter herring gull- not even on our Village checklist. Anti-climatic, a couple of eagles and 2 seldom seen here N. Shovelers.

A great day!

Vic Prislipsky