Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 00:14:42 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Phil Davis Subject: Assateague MD Black-tailed Gull - Yes, 10/15/2000 Comments: To: voice@capaccess.org, "staff@narba.org" , marvadel@egroups.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed The adult Black-tailed Gull was still present at Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland again today, Sunday, October 15, 2000. Observers were Phil Davis, Barbara Davis, and Greg Miller. Our strategy was to drive the full 16 miles to the MD/VA boundary (a gated fence) and then turn around and drive north, so we could stick closer to the ocean and scan the gulls as we drove. We first found the bird midway between the 13 and 14 mile markers (i.e., the virtual 13-1/2 "mile marker") at 3:30 pm. The bird was actually easy to find ... it is darker than the adult Laughing Gulls and closer in size to the Ring-billed Gulls. We found the bird on the first trip down the island. Greg had also seen the bird yesterday (10/14) with several other birders including Jim Stasz, one of the original finders, along with Marshall Iliff, on October 7. Anecdotally, the bird seems to be found fairly consistently later in the afternoon and apparently it has never been seen north of mile maker 11. The tide was quite low and Greg noted that the total number of Gulls was down dramatically from Saturday. Look along the waterline, The bird seems to spend its time right at the edge of the ocean, feeding on small fish that are brought in by the waves. In the car, we were able to consistently approach the bird to within about 40-50 feet. Once a passing vehicle spooked it and it flew south. We refound it about five minutes later about 50-75 yards north of mile maker 14. We continued to watch it until about 4:15 pm, for about 45 minutes, total. Greg took several rolls of film, including some flight shots. I'll elaborate on Marshall Iliff's, earlier message about the required Off Road Vehicle (ORV) pass that is required to drive down the seashore. 1. The price of the pass is $60 and that's an annual permit that is good for one year from the month of purchase. The issued sticker must be affixed to the front bumper of the vehicle and is not transferable. 2. The pass is in addition to any entrance fee. The price of a one-week entrance pass is $15 per vehicle (non-transferable). Season passes and various types of Federal "Golden" passes and "passports" are also available. 3. Minimum ground clearance requirement is 7 inches. 4. Even though 4-wheeled vehicles are the norm, regulations do allow 2-wheeled drive vehicles, if they have a minimum of 8" of tread width in contact with the ground, however regular mud-snow grip tread on 2-wheeled vehicle tires are not acceptable. 5. Five items of safety equipment are required and are subject to inspection: a. A shovel with a blade of at least 6" square and a handle of at least 18" long. b. A vehicle jack sufficient to lift one wheel clear of the sand. c. A jack support at least 12"x12" of non-bending steel, 5/8" plywood, or 1-1/2" hardwood. d. A tire gauge with a minimum reading of 15 psi or less. (It is recommended to lower your tire pressure to 15 psi when you enter the ORV zone. Powered air pumps are provided for reinflating your tires when you exit the zone). A tow rope or tow strap, chain, or cable with a minimum pulling strength of 6,000 pounds and at least 10 feet long. Ropes must be a minimum of 3/4" diameter. Nylon or Dacron ropes at least 1/2 " in diameter and 1/4" carbon steel cable are acceptable. Chain links must be a minimum of 5/16" in diameter. The speed limit is 25 mph and you are required to reduce your speed to 15 mph within 100 feet of people or horses. (We varied between 15 and 25 depending on the depth and softness of the sand). Permits can be purchased at the Ranger's Station, which is open seven days a week. Bring your vehicle identification number (VIN) in when you purchase your permit. Hope this helps. Good luck! [Permission is granted to re-post this information to any other birding discussion groups or other sources]. Phil ================================== Phil Davis Davidsonville, Maryland USA mailto:PDavis@ix.netcom.com ================================== ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================