Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 18:21:36 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "George M. Jett" Subject: Glaucous Gull in Charles Co. Comments: To: SMAS Comments: cc: Miliff@aol.com, blkvulture@aol.com, Jim Stasz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Folks Working on my Big Charles County, Maryland year, I paid my dues today. = It was a cold/windy 16 degrees when I left for the Charles Co. landfill. = When I arrived I did not have much hope since there were only about = 1500 gulls - mostly Ring-billed. The gulls continued to arrive at the = landfill and after about an hour of fidget conditions, I briefly spotted = a white-winged gulls fly into the garbage that was being crushed. My = mind recorded a medium/large size gull with a bi-colored bill. Was I = too cold? I tried to stay on the bird but lost it. It had to be a = Glaucous I thought. =20 About 1/2 hour later I got a better look at the bird, first with my = eyes, than with binoculars of the first-winter Glaucous Gull as it flew = into the crushed garbage. I reached for the camera and proceeded to = lose the bird again. By now there were at least 3000 gulls, but I had = species this time. In about another half hour I located the gull = resting up on the hill, out of the wind. I should be so smart. I tried = to get the camera on the bird and all the gulls in the landfill took to = flight. Damn eagle! Fixing to leave before my hands fell off, I put everything in the car, = took one more look with the binos, and re-found the bird resting further = to the left, and closer to the road. This time no eagle and about = twenty shots from 200+ feet in very clear, cold light. Number 98 for = the year in Charles. =20 If you go to look for this bird, which may stay around, please be = careful and practice good birding behavior. The bird is inside the = landfill, not at the recycle center as the bird I photographed on = January 2, 1999. This is the second Glaucous Gull I have seen and = photographed in Charles Co. You will have to ask for permission to = enter the landfill. Please stay out of the path of the vehicles and use = common sense. I have been given access to bird inside, and don't want = those privileges to be denied because others don't practice safe = behavior while in the landfill. I have never called ahead like you need = to do at the Brown Station Landfill. Park and stay on the outside of = the area that is receiving the trash/garbage/etc. There is a wire fence = separating you from the gulls/trash/etc. Mid day is good for light = since you are south of the area being filled. The landfill will be open = Saturday until 4 PM, I think. Gwen and I plan to be there after 10 AM = when the garbage trucks start arriving, and it should be a little = warmer. Other gulls at the were about ~2500 Ring-billed, ~500 Herring, and 15 = Greater Black-backed. The Starling count was way down today (~300). = They must have found someone's feeder. The ~60 Rusty Blackbird flock is staying around the house in Waldorf. I = got some close up shots in the afternoon.. About 1000 Common Grackles = also visited and ate everything except the peanut butter on the dead = tree. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker male and Ruby-crowned Kinglet = appreciated that. =20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================