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Monday, March 15, 2010
Wintering Grounds
The flock of ring-billed gulls wintering on the Rio Grande around the Alameda Bridge at the north end of Albuquerque can make the river sound a bit like the seashore.
But these gulls likely never see the ocean. The birds probably settled there because the river's sand bars make a good roost close to a nearby landfill that provides a food source, said Christopher Rustay, a local bird expert with the Playa Lakes Joint Venture, a group that works to preserve bird habitat.
As many as 800 have been counted in the area, according to reports collected by eBird, a Web site run by the Audubon Society and Cornell University. Ring-billed gulls can be seen throughout New Mexico during fall and winter, but are especially common along the Rio Grande.
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