At 07:54 PM 10/10/98 -0400, rick wrote: > The Franklin's Gull returned to havre de Grace today at 4:30 p.m., >seen by two others and myself (they will post their own notes). Also >present were 6 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, 54 Laughing Gulls and 1 >BONAPARTE'S GULL (the 1st of the season). There were also 2 juvenile >plumaged Ring-billed Gulls. Three of the Lessers were adults, one was third >winter, 1 was 1st winter, and 1 was either 1st winter or 1st summer molting >to 2nd winter but was not seen well enough to be certain. Virtually no >birds were present before 3:00 p.m. By dusk there were over 1500 gulls and >terns present. Anyone looking tomorrow should check early or late. Hi, I'm the third observer.....Thanks Rick for spotting the Franklin's Gull when I had all but stood up to leave, already an hour late. I left my notes at home, so I won't post them. All those Lesser Black-backs were a nice diversion while we were searching for the Franklin's Gull. The chief reason that no birds were present before 3 pm was that an adult Bald Eagle had landed in the spot where the gulls hang out....and stayed there for maybe 15 minutes..... Best, Rob Rob (Robert) Hilton--robert@csa.com--Bethesda, Maryland, USA Lal Waterson 1943-1998 "and you wonder why when your heart has died that your feet go stumbling on"