Franklin's Gull

rick (rblom@blazie.com)
Sat, 10 Oct 1998 06:13:17 -0400


Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan at Havre De Grace

        On Friday, October 10, 1998, I watched an adult Franklin's Gull at
the marina at Havre de Grace, Harford County, Maryland. The bird was first
seen about 8:30 a.m. and watched off and on for more than two hours. During
that time it was heavily overcast and there was light rain off and on. Most
of the time viewing conditions were excellent, with neutral light and no
heat shimmer. I was using a Swarovski AT-80 scope with a zoom lens. Most
observations were made at 40-50 power. Distances ranged from 100 - over 500
yards.
        The bird was first seen on the extensive sandbar that forms at low
tide on the south side of Tydings Island. It was with several hundred gulls
and terns, predominately Ring-billed Gull L. delawarensis and Forster's
Terns Sterna forsteri. Other gulls presence were Herring Gulls L.
argentatus, Great Black-backed Gulls L. marinus, a dozen Laughing Gulls L.
atricilla and a single Lesser Black-backed Gull L. fuscus. A full list of
species seen was posted on MDOsprey on the evening of October 10.
        The bird first caught my eye because of the combination of dark
back, similar to that of Laughing Gull, extensive back hood, and small
size, being intermediate between Forster's Tern and Ring-billed Gull,
slightly closer to Ring-billed. It was sitting in a mixed flock of
Ring-billeds and Forster's Terns, with one Laughing Gull close enough to
permit comparison. After fifteen minutes the bird flew towards the marina
and joined a flock of gulls feeding and loafing on the thick grass mat near
the seawall just south of the marina. At that time it was possible to pick
out the bird with binoculars and to study it closely in the scope. For a
time it was in the same scope field as a Lesser Black-backed Gull. I
identified it as a full adult in winter plumage.
        I left to make several phone calls, and when I returned, the bird
was back on the sandbar. I changed my location to a yard on Chesapeake
Avenue, putting me slightly closer and above the bird. I watched it off and
on there for almost an hour before returning to the marina. I last saw it
about 11:00 a.m., when I left.

DESCRIPTION
        A medium to small-medium sized gull, slightly smaller than Laughing
Gull. The back was as dark as a Laughing Gull and appeared slightly darker
most of the time, but the difference was slight. The exposed primaries on
the sitting bird were black with medium large white tips on all exposed
primaries. The underparts were white. The head had a nearly full black
hood, not gray as in the less extensive remnant hoods on the Laughing
Gulls. The only part of the hood that was not complete was the front,
around the face and bill. There were large white eye crescents, thick and
more extensive than on Laughing Gull, almost touching at the rear of the
eye. The bill was shorter and slightly thinner than on the Laughing Gulls
and appeared all dark (black). The legs were also proportionately shorter
than Laughing Gull's and appeared black. In flight, the white bar
separating the black of the wing tips from the dark gray of the upper wing
was complete and obvious. The black of the wing tips was far less extensive
than on Laughing Gulls, both above and below. The flight was more buoyant
and tern like than that of any of the other gulls present. The tail
appeared white at a distance but seemed to show a faint darkening in the
center, where a Franklin's would be gray, but that could have been an
artifact of distance or shadow at the range the bird was and the central
gray tail feathers were not seen.
        The black half-hood, white bar bisecting the outer primaries, large
eye crescents, and small size, eliminated Laughing Gull. The evenly dark
mantle and white underparts eliminated all other species. The lack of tail
band eliminated first-winter birds and the extensive white bar eliminated
(probably) second-winter as an age consideration. Most second-winter
Franklin's Gulls have limited or no white bar in the wing. This is the
second Franklin's Gull I have seen In Harford County. The first was nearly
ten years ago at Conowingo Dam and was also seen by Bob Ringler, John
Wortman, and others. I have seen more than 30 Franklin's Gulls in Maryland,
and tens of thousands in the Midwest, including several hundred this summer
in North Dakota.
        This was written from notes taken at the time of observation.



"Everywhere I go I'm asked if the university stifles writers. My opinion is
that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a bestseller that could
have been prevented by a good teacher."  Flannery O'Connor

Rick Blom
rblom@blazie.com
4318 Cowan Place
Belcamp, Maryland 21017
(410)575-6086