Hello! Most of my posts take place around San Diego County, (Mostly Lake Murray) unless otherwise noted.
For more posts and photos, I also post on Hubpages, a site that is a bit different than others. Thanks!: Shorebirdie on Hubpages
Showing posts with label sick gulls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sick gulls. Show all posts

Monday, February 27, 2012

Waddles is missing

When I went to visit the lake, I heard a strange goose sound like a sick goose, but when I looked around, I couldn't find anything, so I started to take pictures of the ducks.  Unfortunately, my camera battery died and this is the only photo I got.  I think it's one of Caramel's daughters, all grown up and with a mate.  It's a bit blurry.



The geese were all scattered about, but I found all of them except Waddles, the large female goose in the middle of the photos.  Waddles is a bit heavy and sometimes has trouble walking.  But, I think she's lost weight recently and has been doing better.  She had a nest last year, too.  Her mate is the white goose right behind her.  He was extremely quiet today, barely making a sound.  He seemed a little confused, but did not call out for Waddles.  He hung around Baby Goose, the juvenile Canada goose all day.  Usually, he's very vocal, and being part Chinese, easily heard.  Today, though hardly a sound.


Jill the goose is doing well and seems to have chosen one of the Canada geese as her new mate or companion.  She looked like she was getting ready to nest, soon.

I also saw another sick juvenile California gull.  The vultures were waiting for him to die.  I chased the vultures away and the gull was able to walk quickly to the water, but stumbled like a drunk part of the way there.  I'm thinking he swallowed some metal or got botulism like the other gulls that have died.  I checked on him, later, he was out of the water and standing near a tree, not being bothered by the vultures, but they were watching him from above.  They were also circling where I heard the strange goose sounds, too.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Birds are migrating again

It seems like the winter birds are beginning to leave and the summer birds are starting to come in. For example, I swear I saw some cliff swallows and terns yesterday. Also, there seems to be fewer scaups and redheads lately.

Lots of pretty grass and flowers all over the place, too.

First thing I saw yesterday morning was a turkey vulture eating a coot. The coot died a week ago, probably from a raccoon attack. Vultures seem to like food that's been rotting for a week:



I saw the sick seagull and he seemed better, but still sick:



These lesser scaups were cute, though.



I only saw a few killdeer, but I could hear George and Killer doing calls.