Trip Report: Gillson Beach - 2013 December 7

This COS field trip had 12 participants, including some new birders and visitors from Germany and Sweden.  Special thanks to Sam Burckhardt for always teaching us a few things we didn't know about birds.

We started at Gillson where highlights were far-away Scaup, Common Mergansers beginning to fill out the flocks of the many Red-breasted, and a Great Black-backed Gull moving south.  The full list is at the eBird link below.

Many in the group were interested in seeing Dave A's Snowy Owl from yesterday and the trip south provided some much needed warm-up time.  The Snowy was present on the docks (the link below includes a photo).  Other Montrose highlights were a diving Double-crested Cormorant and a Snow Goose swimming near the rocks just out of the harbor, where it eventually flew up into the nearby golf course (photo included in link).  We looked for but did not see the Eared Grebe.

See the eBird list links below for full list and some photos.

Stay warm and have fun,

Fran Morel -- Evanston, Cook Co.

Gillson link:  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15884240

Montrose link:  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15884245