Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 23:03:27 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "Eugene J. Scarpulla" Subject: SMAS Conowingo Field Trip Comments: To: Beth Olsen , Bryan Zurek MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Saturday, February 19, 2000 0800-1650 AM: foggy; Noon: sunny; PM: cloudy Today, I led a field trip to Conowingo Dam for the Southern Maryland Audubon Society (SMAS). Participants were Patty Craig, Sue Hamilton, Ray Carter, Ralph Cullison, Beth Olsen, and Bryan Zurek. The following were observed: Great Blue Heron (~ 70, many already on nests) Black-crowned Night-Heron (2) Black Vulture (~80) Turkey Vulture (~20) Canada Goose (~150) American Black Duck (~60) Mallard (~10) Bufflehead (~50) Common Goldeneye (~10) Common Merganser (~100) Bald Eagle (3 adults, 2 immatures) Sharp-shinned Hawk (1) Red-tailed Hawk (2) American Kestrel (1) Ring-billed Gull (~40) Herring Gull (~1500) THAYER'S GULL (2 adult winter) LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (1 second-winter) GLAUCOUS GULL (1 second-winter) Great Black-backed Gull (~50) MYSTERY GULL (SEE BELOW) Rock Dove (~70) Red-bellied Woodpecker (1) Northern Flicker (2) American Crow (3) Carolina Chickadee (1) White-throated Sparrow (1) *MYSTERY GULL (1 third-winter) *size of a Herring Gull *slate gray mantle similar to "L. f. graellsii" Lesser Black-backed Gull, some brown in wing coverts *bill longish like California Gull *bright pink legs and feet, similar to Herring Gull *bill color not easy to discern, but appeared to be yellow; red gonys; black ring on upper and lower mandible (possibly due to age) *dusky around the eyes similar to Lesser Black-backed Gull *primaries black with small white apical tips; no apparent mirrors *underwing coverts and secondaries whitish *white throat, breast, belly, vent If you go to Conowingo, keep an eye out for this bird. I am interested in opinions. Gene Scarpulla Millers Island, Maryland gscarp@erols.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================