Little Gull @ The End of the World

February 7, 2024

Little Gull, Lake Cochise Wilcox, 2-7-24

This immature Little Gull was found by Louis Dombroski and Sky Haas at Wilcox on Tuesday, 2-6-24. When reports are from Wilcox they almost always mean the STP pond known as Lake Cochise on the west end of town adjacent to the golf course. The pond and immediate vicinity has had its share of really good birds in the last couple of years including White-rumped Peep, White Wagtail, Glossy Ibis, and Ruff besides the resident Scaled Quail and Bendire’s Thrasher.

The Little Gull is extremely rare, breeding records are from Hudson Bay, and they are sometimes seen along the east coast around Chesapeake Bay. There are a few records in California. This bird is Arizona’s third record according to Gary Rosenberg.

Little Gull, Lake Cochise Wilcox, 2-7-24

Herring Gull, Benson WTP, 2-7-24. Left, immature, right adult (?).

The recent spell of very unsettled weather has brought us these unusual-for-Arizona Gulls. After we left Wilcox a California Gull was reported.

Pine Warbler, Jesse Owen’s Park, 2-3-24.

Pine Warblers are regular winter birds. Many go unreported because they are so dull – a quick look and these will be ignored as female-type Audubon’s. This one was reasonably bright. Another suspect was much less colorful.

Downy Woodpecker, Paton’s, 1-30-24

The pecan trees at Paton’s Hummingbird spot attract lots of squirrels, too.

Ruddy Ground-dove (M), Paton’s, 1-30-24

Northern Parula, Sweetwater Wetlands Park, 1-24-24

This spot, the well-known Sweetwater Wetlands Park, regularly gets wintering Black-and-White Warblers and Parulas. One report from several days past claimed 4 Parulas.

Black-and-White Warbler, Sweetwater Wetlands Park, 1-24-24.

Gulf Fritillary, Paton’s, 1-30-24

Butterflys have been really scarce. It has been unusually cold.

We have had more rain this winter than usual, like much of the southwest. So far, since the beginning the year to 2-07-24 my rain gauge has captured 3.5″. Last year we had 1.06″ as of this date. And the year before (2022) we had but 0.2″. We could easily have a terrific spring bloom of wildflowers and other weeds.