Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 15:04:01 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Gail Mackiernan Subject: Glaucous, Thayer's Gulls in DC again today Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hi all-- Barry and I went down to the Tidal Basin to enjoy the huge concentration of gulls that are on the ice (and on the water), feeding on dead fish. Since Thursday, over 2/3 of the ice has melted, but what was left held several 1000 gulls. There were also many 100s of gulls out on the Potomac between Memorial Bridge and the 14th St. bridge. Guess we arrived around 10 am. Viewing was perfect. Initially, we saw a lot of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and by the end of our time there, had counted at least 8, most of them adults but a few immatures in one stage or another. Most of the gulls, btw, are Herring Gulls with a smattering of Ring-bills and Greater BBs. After some scoping Barry located the Thayer's Gull in the water at some distance. Luckily, almost immediately it flew and came towards us, and sat down right in front of us on the boat dock for the Swan Boats (thank you birding gods!) It is definitely the same bird Dave Czaplak photographed last weekend (posted on his web site). The bird's size, rounded head, small dark bill, rather uniform pale underparts and lightly marked whitish upperparts, plus the pale chocolate wing-tips, all contrasted markedly with the many first-winter Herring Gulls next to it on the dock. When it eventually flew off we could see the "venetian-blind" appearance of the primaries quite well. We had never expected to have such close views so carelessly had not brought our camera (duh!) We then drove around Hains Point, seeing nothing, and then parked near the FDR Memorial along the river to look at the gulls out here. Almost immediately we saw the Glaucous Gull flying and then, quickly landing in the water, about half-way across in front of the Naval Memorial (on VA side). This time we had no police interference and got it in the scope. It is NOT the bird Dave, Rob and Lisa had last week. Ours was a whacking big bird, noticeably larger than the Herrings Gulls, and probably a late 1st winter bird showing some biscuit shading around the head and neck, but with a almost completely white appearance. It stood out like the proverbial sore thumb! (The Glaucous posted on Dave's web site is a bird showing gray on coverts and mantle, thus at least 2nd winter.) Our bird was very aggressive, chasing Herrings off a dead fish which it then devoured. It was doing a lot of short flights after other gulls before settling down to feed. This is undoubtedly the same individual we saw Thursday in the river off Hains Pt., which (before the cops chased us off) we had ID'd as a large probable 1st year bird. (Some 2nd year Glaucous Gulls can also appear very white, I would like to examine this one closer and without a 20-knot headwind!) We then drove home via the Georgetown Reservoir and had an adult Lesser BB Gull there as well. Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper Silver Spring, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================