I thought I had seen everything, but yesterday during an impoundment survey at
Back Bay NWR as I was counting a group of gulls on a mudflat in one of the
impoundments, a large bird appeared over them, hovered a few seconds, and
landed in the shallow water next to the gulls. It was a young Northern Gannet.
This is the only time I've ever seen a gannet use a small piece of interior
water like an impoundment. I've seen them flying up the James River, the
Nansemond River, the Chesapeake Bay, and other saltwater locales connected to
the bay or the ocean. But to see one land in a small impoundment was a
surprise.
Robert L. Ake
6603 Catherine Street
Norfolk VA 23505
I'm doing an ABA Big Year in 2010 - If you'd like to follow along, my blog is
at http://bobsbirds.blogspot.com/ ;
