Slaty-backed Gull, Eurasian Wigeon

birder6@Juno.com
Sun, 28 Feb 1999 17:49:09 -0500


Ospreyers,

After seeing the Kelp Gull early Friday afternoon,  Sherrie 
Siers and I went to Conowingo Dam for the Slaty-backed 
Gull.   After scanning the rocks and the thousands of gulls
flying around the dam,  we saw it around 5:50pm when it 
showed up on the rocks just below the retaining wall.  In 
the same field of view was a Greater Black-backed Gull.
In addition,  a Lesser Black-backed Gull was within a 1/2 
field of view further downstream to give us great 
comparison's.  After five or six minutes of studying the 
sitting birds,  the Slaty-backed flew up and went behind 
the wall,  giving a nice view of the wing tips.

Other Maryland birds seen during the weekend included
Common Black-headed Gull,  3 Common Eiders, and 
8 Harlequin Ducks at Ocean City inlet on Saturday.   

Our final bird on the trip was an Eurasian Wigeon at Kent 
Narrows on Sunday.  It was located  8/10ths of a mile East 
of the Fisherman's Inn restaurant.   It was visible from the 
road that parallel's Rt. 50 and was among an assortment 
of American Wigeon,  Coots, and scaup.

                         Larry


Larry Lynch
Richmond, VA
birder6@juno.com