Black-legged Kittiwake in Port Washington 12/10/22

Jeremy2 Comments

A Black-legged Kittiwake was found on 12/8 in the Port Washington Harbor. The first chance I had to go was on Saturday, 12/10. Of course, it was overcast and misting out when I arrived, which then turned into a full-on light rain. It was fairly dark with a low ceiling, terrible for photography. I stuck it out and watched the gull fly around the harbor, usually on the west side, hunting for alewives. I observed it catch several alewives and then get chased by Ring-billed or Herring Gulls. A couple of times it flew off to the east and disappear for 15-30 minutes, but then it would suddenly reappear, flying over the harbor. I also watched it land in the middle of the harbor, out towards the east. It would loaf around with the Red-breasted Mergansers and then head back in. This is a very cool bird to watch, especially with its markings in flight. This gull is rare for the area, so I was glad it hung around for several days. According to eBird, it was last seen on 12/17. Photos below are from the morning of 12/10. Enjoy!

Laughing Gull in Port Washington

Jeremy2 Comments

A Laughing Gull showed up in the Port Washington Harbor on Saturday 1/16/21. One of my jobsites is currently in Port, only about 5 minutes from downtown. I was able to get away for a little while on Monday, to try for it. I did see it, but it was pretty far out, sitting on the wooden posts of a dock. After 15 minutes or so, it flew off towards the power plant and I saw it go down somewhere over there. I didn’t bother driving around to try and relocate it. The clouds were rather low and lighting was pretty terrible for photos anyway. I also figured I had the rest of the week to try as well. Then on Tuesday, I saw it was starting to get sunny out, so I stepped away quickly, to see if it was any closer. It was! It was sitting on the rocks, on northern most part of the marina. I watched it for about 25 minutes and then it again flew off to the south. Some other people had stopped by looking for it, and I told each of them they just missed it. About ten minutes later, it came back to the north and landed on the blue concrete wall. There has also been a Harlequin Duck hanging out on the north side of the marina. I saw it both times I went this week, and the previous two times earlier this month, that I went. He is starting to get more color and defining marks. Hopefully he sticks around little longer, while his colors continue to develop. Pictures below are from this week at the harbor. Enjoy!