For the OBRC in particular, it should be noted that Chris Evans of Midland had two BLACK-HEADED GULLS among several Bonaparte's during a field trip to the Minesing Swamp on Saturday. He has some good pictures which clearly show the red bill, red legs, and shorter hood. If you key in Simcoe Nature Board on your computer, you will see the thread of discussion under Chris's title "Black-headed Gulls and Short-Eared Owl - Minesing Wetlands". There was initially some debate about the identification but this was due to the fact that Chris took many shots during the trip and his post on SNB initially shows pictures of Bonaparte's gulls in flight before a viewer gets to see his shots of the birds at rest. The 7th entry in the thread of commentary shows the best photo, along with helpful identification points by Bob Bowles, the administrator of the Simcoe Nature Board. The birds were not rediscovered on Sunday but since this sighting has not yet been posted on Ontbirds I thought it would be of interest to subscribers, especially the many gull-enthusiasts in Ontario. Ron Fleming _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
