Rare Gull Occurrences Continue at Carter Lake

Sightings of gulls rare to Carter Lake continue to occur. Suitable habitat conditions have been attracting hundreds of gulls. Low water levels have not only provided beach area useful as day roosts ... especially the southern shoreline of the Iowa West Ranch, the slice of Levi Carter Park on the west side of the east arm of the lake, and the former beach area at the northwest portion of the lake. Fewer birds are seen floating on the lake waters, or coursing in flight above the lake.

More significant — and as never known to have occurred in recent years — has been the "gull flats" north of Bird Isle in the southeast portion of the lake. Use of the shallow-water flats was first noted on March 20th, and has continued to be a significant roost area during each subsequent visit by various area birders. It is in this area where the three types of rare gulls have been observed and where a huge number of Ring-billed Gulls occurred. The number of gulls present at the flats has declined as the water level has continually increased due to the pumping of Missouri River water into the lake by the Omaha Public Works Department.

Availability of a forage resource has also made a difference.

Rare Sightings

Two species observed have not been previously seen at this locality, resulting in an overall increase in the variety of species present through the end of March, 2014. These are notes on occurrence of the different gulls:

» Iceland Gull: the first-ever observation at the lake was on March 24th, with a second sighting on March 27th. The two observations are also significant in a regional sense, as the nearest other locale of occurrence has been at Branched Oak Lake.

» Lesser Black-backed Gull: first ever observation during the late afternoon to evening period on March 29th.

» California Gull: the four sightings during March 2014, are the first since this species was last noted in November, 1993. A surprising 7-8 of these birds were noted on March 29th, which is a peak count for eastern Nebraska.

California Gulls. Photographs courtesy of Justin Rink

» Thayer's Gull: from 1 to six have been noted on the four days of occurrence during the later part of March. The only previous record of observation was in November 1993. The six seen on March 25th is a peak count for eastern Nebraska.

Thayer's Gulls.

» Ring-billed Gull: an amazing flock of 2,000 noted on March 27th by Justin Rink. Other significant counts of 255 (March 20th) and 210 (March 29th) are among the top five counts ever noted at the lake.

» Herring Gull: lesser numbers have been noted during March in comparison to counts made in the 1920-30s.

» Franklin's Gull: have yet to occur, but can be expected any day. Larger larger numbers have typically been noted mostly in mid-April; up to 1700 have been observed on one occasion.

This is a summary of the gull species recorded at Carter Lake during the past two decades, based upon records for the Carter Lake environs, with records starting in the 1890s, as compiled into a database. There are more than 185 gull records, the first from 1926 when the Omaha Nature Study Club were doing regular waterbird censuses at the lake.

Common Name	1993	2000	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Franklin's Gull	- -	- -	2	1	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	5	3	12	- -
Bonaparte's Gull	- -	- -	- -	1	- -	- -	- -	1	- -	- -	- -	- -	6	- -
Ring-billed Gull	1	1	3	10	1	1	1	1	3	2	9	16	35	10
California Gull	1	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	4
Herring Gull	3	- -	- -	1	- -	- -	1	- -	1	- -	- -	2	- -	8
Thayer's Gull	1	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	5
Iceland Gull	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	2
Lesser Black-backed Gull	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	1
Glaucous Gull	- -	- -	- -	2	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
The value given is a count of the number of reports. These records are comparable, especially for 2012-2014, since numerous and regular surveys of waterbirds have been done at the lake and vicinity. The numbers of birds present has not been recorded for every report. Justin Rink deserves special thanks for his ongoing interest in observing and reporting many of the unusual gull species in 2014.

In addition to gulls, the "gull flats" have also attracted use by dabbling ducks, and as a roosting place for Canada Goose, for example.

Video of the gathered gulls, including Ring-billed and Thayer's gulls. Taken March 25, 2014 through a spotting scope.

Gull Skies Above Omaha's Midtown

Beyond the first realization that midtown skies are a major crossing for the daily route of migrant gulls, some more time was taken to watch the flocks in the skies above Happy Hollow and the hills of Dundee.

On the evening of the March 28th, a few thousand birds went past my vantage point at Memorial Park with pleasant and comfortably warm spring weather. Some gathered in kettles of gulls lifted during evening thermals. Large groups would gather and mix for a few minutes where the air was lifting. Then it would occur elsewhere near the neighborhood heights. The birds would soon float towards the east. There were some small flocks going over the UNO campus to the southwest, with the migratory front including the Dundee skies.

A kettle of gulls floating on drafts of air in east-central Omaha. March 28 p.m.

Flying past the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. March 29 a.m.

During the next day's morning, while the park was quiet beneath clear blue skies marked by contrails from commercial planes, thousand of gulls profoundly moved west without a trace left behind. Many flocks went past along the way during a relatively short interlude of time, with the peak movement about 7:15 a.m.

There are variable patterns of flight in the morning and during the evening. The behavior of the birds was not consistent - except for continual movement towards the east or west - on those occasions when the skies were monitored from some suitable place.

On the March 29 evening, fewer than 25 gulls seen above during the evening interlude at Memorial Park. The scene was tempered by several flocks of moving Cedar Waxwings, as somewhat of a diversion.

Sylphian skies were notable above in the cerulean sky-scape, with patterns subtly changing during an hour's time that finished the weekend with a notably fine sunset presentation.

Birdly Sylphs in the Evening.
A beaked bird in the northern clouds.	Featheration.
Gull winds at sky-beach.	Sky dance of the crane. All images © 2009 James E. Ducey.

With the interlude at the park done due to chilling winds which a hefty tree trunk could not diminish, my bicycling route reached the west side of the Dundee business district, along Underwood Avenue at 51st Street. There were bunches of gulls, just 20 feet or less above the treetops of the urban heights, with several hundred counted in five minutes. And within the last moments of this particular evening, some more flew past, above the tree tops with just enough height to get along to somewhere else in the Missouri Valley.

Subsequent days have had blustery winds with wintery weather with no further observing the gulls across the sky. Gulls went past, but behaved differently in the strong winds, making it not feasible to see them across the skies to an extent to make counts. They are still about as brief glimpses have occurred. Though on Monday evening, at the end of the month, there were more than fifty Turkey Vultures to watch arriving, grouping and then getting into the roost at pines of an estate along Fairacres Road.

Gulls Stream Across Skies of Midtown River City

While at a city park on a Wednesday evening just before the first day of spring in midtown Omaha, a multitude of some particular birds of the fresh season conveyed a new appreciation for what can be seen in the skies above the city.

The sheer number of gulls could not be blithely ignored.

So many gulls soared and floated in an avian manner up in the aerial realm of an urban landscape. Occasionally vibrant, subtle calls issued from some particular bird among the throng, with distinct groups that sallied forth from the lifting thermals as they were in flight, going eastward to reach their known roost for the night. This whole situation was ongoing for a certain amount of time, and continued for bunch of time exceeding an hour, appreciated as a watcher's enjoyment.

An Unforgettable Sight

Flocks of gulls had been seen before during different seasons and were known to move back and forth in the skies above the Carthage neighborhood, the recognized Dundee and Memorial Park, but the actual extent had not really been realized.

This particular evening indicated how the gull stream was a not an aberrant event, but a spring season occurrence that bird watcher's should obviously appreciate.

This particular time and place on March 19, 2009, the gulls presented an indomitable show of flight in cerulean skyscape. Gulls had gathered on the warm air to soar on thermals of an early spring evening, before moving eastward to a safe haven for the night. It was a time to appreciate, as the estimated number of gulls was more something that approached something like 10,000 birds, an impression derived from the sheer grandeur and enjoyment given by the sweet antics of these birds in magnificent and wonderful flight.

One evenings worth of watching was not sufficient. So, another day of watching followed.

Streaming Wonder

A considerably precise count was made during the time on the evening of Friday, March 20 from a place at Memorial Park.

Upon arriving a bit after 6 P.M., some gulls flying eastward had already been noted above the skies of the Dundee neighborhood.

Once at the park place, the gull stream was soon underway, notably starting with a loosely associated bunch gloing southeast about 6:15 in the evening.

A variable stream of gulls going along was continual thence forth. Counted first was 100, then 150, then 50, then 360 by noting groups of 5 to 10 among the throng. The tally notes that followed were for more, bunches of 90 to 200, with estimatable counts for 200 to 830 when the peak of movement occurred after 6:45 P.M. Numbers were written on a note card only when a lull provided an opportunity, to denote 830, 400, 600, 565, and 370 during a movement that certainly ebbed as sunset approached under a cloudy overcast.

Whew. What a spectacular of an ongoing sight of avian splendor in flight as seen from a grassy knoll in midtown. The bird movement was unending during this interlude of observing the gulls going past, not in an organized flock shape, but in an undulating, moving flow of wingbeats.

The end of the sights this night was about 7:20. The tally determined later was about 8,000 counted gulls. Add to this number, those that had already gone past, plus some few hundred seen westward beyond the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus, that could be seen but were not visible enough to get a count. What a tally!

An added treat of the time was seeing the several bunches of Cedar Waxwings among the pines extant at the southwest portion of the park.

Saturday Morning Lesson

Although arriving at the same mid-city count site by 7 A.M., there were already some gulls going to some unknown westward destination. The first group seen at this early morning hour, was in the sky space above the renowned and celebrated Dundee. Afterwards, after further walking to the park, there was an occasional defined flock of a few hundred. These birds flew together in a cognizant group, since flying together was an assist for birds flying in early morning hours. After another bit of interlude, some more of the flock flew past in the dawn skies. The peak of this time of watching was about 7:30, with a few lesser numbers afterwards. The last bunch noted was at 7:40 this morning.

The flight path was more expansive this morning than on the previous evening. Birds were seen further north of the Memorial Park environs although a bunch were going past directly above the point of observation.

Although the flight was thought to have ended before 8 A.M., about 15 minutes before 9, some more gulls were seen in the local skies.

Saturday evening marked the end of the gull times. Two gulls were seen at 6:15 P.M. languidly winging eastward, across the sky dome above the dueling kites on strings. Then a few minutes later, one more gull went past. A final sighting was the last gull at 6:45 P.M. There were no more seen.

Prognosticating

It is probable that the gulls noted in the cerulean skies are going from one particular place to another. Their destination in the evening is an overnight roost, and in the morning they are going to a suitable place to forage where there is enough sustenance for the day.

An evaluation of records provides this prognostication. It is readily possible that the gulls noted at Memorial Park are going from the west of Omaha to some place east of the river city.

This species of gull might roost overnight at Lake Manawa State Park south of Council Bluffs, Iowa - based on a multitude of records for spring migration in the Missouri River valley - and probably forage during the day at the Douglas County land fill, near Elk City. There are no known records from the latter place, so this interpretation is nothing more than conjecture based on a personal view of how gulls may behave in the wild.

It is basically 23 miles from the landfill site to the Iowa lake. By using an online map, a direct line from the two locales can be drawn, and it shows that Memorial Park - or the intersection of Happy Hollow Boulevard and Underwood Avenue - is right upon the route which gulls may follow when flying a straight-line, direct route from one of these places to another.

Further study would be needed to determine the specifics, but none-the-less the phantasmagoric scenario of migratory gulls cannot be ignored by the birding world, and is certainly an event worthy of appreciation by those that may have an appreciation for the migratory movements of birds along the Missouri River flyway.

These times of watching movements some gulls was certainly something to appreciate and enjoy in specificity for the bird calendar of this year.

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There were 4000 Ring-billed Gulls present at Lake Manawa on the evening of March 21st.