Document text
October 31. 2014 12:01AM Since You Asked: Gull species found inland My question, which I have pondered for many years, is what would possess a seagull to fly to Medford all the way from the much more friendly clime of the Coast? — Caryl, Medford Well, Caryl, you should banish the term seagull from your mind, according to expert birder Harry Fuller, a member of the board of directors for the Ashland-based Klamath Bird Observatory. "They're not seagulls. They're just gulls. Once you call them just gulls, you realize they're not just ocean birds," he said. Gulls are generally found along coastlines of oceans and lakes and don't fly long distances across the ocean. "Gulls are more common in Jackson County than in Hawaii —  where there are no gulls," Fuller said. The ring-billed gull is a common species around here. Adults have yellow eyes, a black line across their bills and black wing tips, Fuller said. Gulls in inland Southern Oregon breed at places such as Klamath Lake, Hyatt Lake and Howard Prairie Reservoir. When mountain lakes get too cold, they fly to valleys and scavenge for food in fields, parking lots, Interstate 5 rest stops and other locations. "This time of year, they'll go anywhere there's a good food source," Fuller said. "They're quite adaptable." Some gull species, including the Bonaparte gull, pass through the Rogue Valley as they migrate south from cold zones north of Seattle, he said. North of Eugene, in the Willamette Valley, ring-billed and glaucous-winged gulls are commonly seen feeding in fields, he said. Fuller encouraged beginning birders to take part in the annual Christmas Bird County this winter, when they can go out with experienced birders and learn more about birds. For information about the bird count, see www.roguevalleyaudubon.org/CBC__Christmas_Bird_Count.html Fuller also has a birding blog at http://atowhee.wordpress.com/ Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.   http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141031/NEWS/141039987 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->