. The Canadian field-naturalist. 480 The Canadian Field-Naturalist Vol. 90 Herring Gulls Breeding on Cliff at Niagara Falls, New York Herring Gulls {Larus argentatus) have been re- corded nesting at various heights in trees, on boulders, lighthouse ledges, walls, breakwaters, steel structures, cliffs, and in niches or crevices in natural and man- made steep rocky slopes. They have been reported breeding on cliff ledges in coastal areas of eastern North America. I think that the following account is of special interest because I have been unable to learn of any other gull colony on the Great La
. The Canadian field-naturalist. 480 The Canadian Field-Naturalist Vol. 90 Herring Gulls Breeding on Cliff at Niagara Falls, New York Herring Gulls {Larus argentatus) have been re- corded nesting at various heights in trees, on boulders, lighthouse ledges, walls, breakwaters, steel structures, cliffs, and in niches or crevices in natural and man- made steep rocky slopes. They have been reported breeding on cliff ledges in coastal areas of eastern North America. I think that the following account is of special interest because I have been unable to learn of any other gull colony on the Great Lakes where ledges of vertical natural cliffs are used for nesting. This may be owing to a paucity of suitable cliffs in the region. The Niagara Falls colony is situated in the Niagara River gorge on the cliff face and on unvegetated parts of the talus slope below it at the western end of Goat Island between the American and Canadian Falls (Figure 1). The depth of the gorge here is about 65 m. It is divided into a 10-m-high upper vegetated slope, a cliff about 22 m, and a talus slope 33 m in height. The year that the colony was first established is not known. R. W. Sheppard (personal communication) recalls that it came to his notice about the mid- 1960s. It is likely that it was initiated in the early 1960s or perhaps late 1950s. Herring Gulls first began to establish themselves in colonies of Ring-billed Gull {Larus delawarensis) in the mid-1940s. We first studied this colony through telescopes from the Canadian side of the Niagara River on 24 and 25 July 1974, counting about 75 adults and 20 large young. Most of the young were on rocks at or near the river edge or in the water, and only one, with two adults, was noted on a cliff ledge about 15 m up the face. About 25 adults were on ledges. It appeared that about 15 ledges might be suitable for nesting, but we could not see a nest with certainty. On 10 June 1975, A. R. Clark, J. C. Burke, Jr., and I descended into the gorge to e
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