Conowingo Dam: 02/21/99

Eugene J. Scarpulla (gscarp@erols.com)
Sun, 21 Feb 1999 21:55:15 -0500


Well gang,

After a few weeks of down time, my computer is partially working enough 
so that I should be able to get out this message.

A dandy day a Conowingo. (The only place I love more than Hart-Miller.) 
Here are the details:

Observations: 0700-1800
Weather: 30 degrees, Partly cloudy

 Peregrine Falcon          2 (adult)
 Bonaparte's Gull          1 (adult)
 Ring-billed Gull         ~3000
*CALIFORNIA GULL           1 (2nd-winter)
 Herring Gull             ~1000
 mystery gull              1 (1st-winter: pale Herring? dark Thayer's?
                             Hal Wierenga, Lynn Davidson, and I watched 
                             this bird flying around and on the water 
                             for about 15 minutes)
*THAYER'S GULL             2 (1 1st-winter,1 2nd-winter)
*ICELAND GULL              1 (3rd-winter)
 Lesser Black-backed Gull  0 (Hello! What's wrong with this picture?)
*SLATY-BACKED GULL         1 (adult; frustratingly brief looks today;
                          0825-0835: standing on rocks, flew behind wall
                          1105-1115: standing on rocks, flew over dam?
                          1645-1646: swimming behind wall,
                                     went behind rock
                          1725 (30 sec): walked out from behind rock
                          1745 (10 sec): flushed from behind rock & left
 Great Black-backed Gull  ~100

I guess I better head to St. Mary's County tomorrow to see the KELP GULL 
since everyone is giving me grief for not having gone yet. Some have 
even suggested that I turn in my license plates (MDGULLS) if I don't get 
down there soon.

Good to be back,
Gene

Gene Scarpulla
Towson, Maryland
gscarp@erols.com