[MDOsprey] St. Mary's County, MD, Kelp Gull (YES) 8/13/99

Jane Kostenko (jkostenko@somd.lib.md.us)
Fri, 13 Aug 1999 13:41:24 -0400 

    Who says Friday the 13th is bad luck?!
    This time, non-reports about the Kelp Gull in St. Mary's County, Md,
haven't been for want of trying (just ask the birder from Illinois who came
for a second three-day try at the gull last week, and went home disappointed
both times). The Kelp Gull was seen by three separate sets of birders at the
Sea Breeze throughout the day on August 1, but then was not seen again,
despite frequent visits and out-of-towners vigils, until Tuesday, August 10,
when one of the reliable staffers saw the Kelp Gull up close for a few
minutes at 6:45 p.m. (gone by the time I got there).
    I haven't had to work this hard to see this gull since back in March,
and I'd reverted to daily- and twice-daily visits lately. I was approaching
my 100th visit to the Sea Breeze and thought it might end up without a
sighting. But luck (the Friday the 13th kind) was with me, and I finally got
my August sighting out of the way, thanks to a phone call from the
restaurant, saying the gull was on the pilings, where it had been all
morning, and last night!
    I took many minutes to study the bird over, having just been talking to
Patty Craig, who first found the bird, about whether it would be starting to
look different. The Kelp Gull must have just been in the water before I got
there, because it looked really frazzled. I've seen that pouchy look on its
face a few times before (not just in hot, humid weather either) and its head
feathers were sticking up all over the place. The most noticeable thing is
that, with the wings folded, the white terminal band is very nearly gone,
and what's there is very ragged. Everything else looks the same and no
visible differences caught my eye.
    It was actively chasing other gulls off "its" piling and caught
something edible in the surf on the beach. It flew around and preened and
shook salt weeping from its beak and generally acted like it had never been
gone. It certainly didn't bother to answer *my* demands to know where it had
been...

Jane Kostenko
jkostenko@somd.lib.md.us
California, Maryland

Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift; that's why they call it the PRESENT.