Date: 12/4/25 9:01 pm From: Diane Bricmont <colaptes.auratus...> Subject: Cold Weather and Good Birds
19F isn't so bad when there's a little sun and almost no wind. Columbia Bottom CA had several inches of snow cover, and more Lapland Longspurs than I've seen in St. Louis County in more than a decade. We found several large flocks, some interspersed with American Tree Sparrows and Horned Larks.
At Riverlands, Teal Pond was frozen over, concentrating most of the waterfowl in Ellis Bay. The diversity has improved in the past two weeks, and the best bird of the afternoon was a very active Red-throated Loon, in Ellis Bay, across from the gas station.
Creve Coeur Lake was our final stop as daylight was fading. The gull roost was forming fairly close to the soccer park overlook (keeping the setting sun behind us) and we had an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull come briefly into the roost before a Bald Eagle caused all of the gulls to take flight, only to settle back down near Sailboat Cove. Checklists, with the expected mediocre photos, are on eBird.
Diane Bricmont STLCO
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