Possibly my favourite time of year, the time the gulls come to the lake! It also is at the same time as many of the vagrants are around the place (Not that we get any here)
A few days ago I went to the lake to count bands as usual. There were nine white color banded birds, 2 young birds (Brown eyed birds with some brown markings are youngsters), and 5 metal banded. Even A38 was there. But the real highlight was the bird below...
A red banded black bill!!! He/she is the first bird at least I've recorded there with a non-white color band, a really nice sighting.
Black-Bills are New Zealand's inland gull, and the worlds most threatened gull. Sadly people think they are common birds, think of them as pest, or mistake them for Red-billed Gulls (Red-billed, though thought of by most as common are now declining) People driving along rivers can destroy there eggs, nests, and chicks.
Black-Bills are New Zealand's inland gull, and the worlds most threatened gull. Sadly people think they are common birds, think of them as pest, or mistake them for Red-billed Gulls (Red-billed, though thought of by most as common are now declining) People driving along rivers can destroy there eggs, nests, and chicks.