150

Ring-billed Gull, so common as to form gigantic swirls in the sky over the river
and massive rafts on the sand and gravel bars there.

It's the little things....delicious Stewart's eggnog in that first cup of coffee. A sleepy jay calling from the Winesap tree just before dawn...no skunk so taking the doggies out is less fraught with peril.....little things, but welcome none the less.

Seeing 150 birds in your home county in a year. I know, I know, that is a pretty sad total compared to some of the knowledgeable and dedicated better birders out there. But for me, walking our own land and hitting a couple of area hot spots when the boss has time to take me...well, it's a big deal, at least here in my head.

I noticed the other day that the dark-winged gull we'd been seeing at Schoharie Crossing, hanging with Ring-billed Gulls, and Herrings, seemed small in comparison to the light-backed gulls around it. The normal dark gull for the area in winter is the Great Black-backed Gull, which is huge even in comparison to the Herring Gulls, which are pretty big in their own right.

I asked the experts and sure enough, it was a Lesser Black-backed gull, not terrifically rare, but uncommon enough and a first for me. There were only three reported on the state rare bird alert today so....

I guess I could just stop now and be content....but I am not going to. As soon as the sun comes up I will most likely head up the hill.....

Lesser Black-backed Gull, the little guy in the middle