| Common Name | Little Gull |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Hydrocoloeus minutus |
| Type of Report | Out-of-Season |
| Date of Observation | 04/30/2008 |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Matt Cahill |
| Mailing Address | 1153 NE Hollinshead Ct Bend, OR 97701 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 11/08/2018 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | I don't have any full names as this is a 10 year-old record. I was told about and brought to the bird by my college friend at the time - Tony F., who was also a Sterling College student and the best and most serious birder there at the time. There were several other people watching while we were there (my memory recalls two couples, but that's a stretch on the specifics). I recall them being locals from the area, but not associated with the school (or I would have known them - small place). |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44°38'11.2"N |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 72°22'47.1"W |
| Place Name | Black River Rd. Flooded Fields |
| Township | Craftsbury |
| County | Orleans |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 12:00 PM |
| Length of Time Observed | 30 minutes |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 500 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 100 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Bright, lovely spring day as I recall. |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | A small pair of binoculars, maybe 8x35's but hard to recall now, and my Nikon Fieldscope 13-30x50mm ED Angled |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | First and only sighting. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Flooded agricultural fields along the Black River. |
| Behaviors Observed | Resting on the shallow water and flying about the area. |
| Description of Vocalizations | None that I recall. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | Date and time approximate - record from the last two weeks of April 2008. Recently (November 2018) I set about entering into eBird my personal records from an Excel sheet I maintained pre-eBird. That Excel sheet only listed species, month and year so I have Little Gull, April 2018 to work with. My narrative memory is that my friend Tony (mentioned above) excitedly found me to tell me a little gull was down on Black River Road and want me to go see it. This was early in my birding days and Tony was responsible for teaching me much of my early lessons. Down on the road along the flooded fields, which was a productive and often-visited birding site in spring, there were several other folks watching the gull that was swimming in the shallow water, just off the road. I was still working to learn ducks, much less gulls so my ID skills were completely reliant on my company. That said, I clearly recall a small and buoyant gull with a black hood paddling around the fields. When it first took flight everyone excitedly pointed out the black underwing pattern which was starkly and clearly visible. We watched the bird for 30 minutes or so, which is a guess from memory as it swam and flew circles and settled again. |
| Relative Size & Shape | A small gull, buoyant in posture. |
| Head | A black hood. |
| Feet & Bill | No recollection specifically. |
| Upper Back | No recollection specifically. |
| Lower Back & Rump | No recollection specifically. |
| Wings | Stark and contrasting black underwings. It's a clear and vivid memory, especially tied to the excitement of the company when the pattern was revealed in flight. I'm sure I was told at the time that this was an important field mark, though I wouldn't have known such on my own. My memory is colored with the warm surprised feeling of seeing just a lovely and unexpected pattern. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | No recollection specifically. |
| Tail | No recollection specifically. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | I was reliant on my company to provide the ID. At the time, I didn't even know what species to separate it from, much less how (especially Bonaparte's as I now know). In entering this record, I was very much hoping there was already a record in eBird I could latch on to, but there were none. |
| Other Notes & Comments | None. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
Vermont Atlas of Life Partners
