Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 20:26:21 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Fred Shaffer Subject: Glaucous Gull & Kelp Gull I spent the afternoon visiting several good gull spots this afternoon, starting at Schoolhouse Pond and then stopping at the Charles County Landfill and Seabreeze Restaurant in Sandgates. The highlights were a few first winter Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a first winter Glaucous Gull, and the Kelp Gull in the usual location. Totals that I came up with were: Schoolhouse Pond: Ring-billed Gulls - 1,063 Herring Gulls - 40 (14 adults, 6 3rd winter, 8 2nd winter, & 12 1st winter) Great Black-backed Gull - 1 (2nd winter) Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1 (1st winter) Charles County Landfill: Several thousand gulls, most of which were Herring and Ring-billed. Also present were: Great Black-backed Gulls: 9 (4 adults, 1 3rd winter, 4 1st winter) Lesser Black-backed Gull: 1 (1st winter) Glaucous Gull: 1 (1st winter). This bird seemed to be a fairly small Glaucous Gull. It had all of the field marks of a first winter bird (two- toned, largish bill), sloped forehead, "fierce" expression, no grey on the mantle), but appeared to be the same size or slightly smaller then some of the surrounding Herring Gulls. Dispite the smaller size, it didn't have a small, delicate bill or a gentle expression. Also present were 3 Bald Eagles (1 adult & 2 immature) and 1 Red Tailed Hawk (adult). Sandgates: Kelp Gull Herring Gulls - 7 Great Black-backed Gull - 8 Ring-billed Gull - 2 There was also a flyby Eagle here, which scared many of the gulls off. Fortunately, the Kelp Gull hung around. I very pretty afternoon to be out, and we finished the day off at the Seabreeze Restaurant. Fred Shaffer Patuxent MOS glaucousgull1611@aol.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================