Thanks to Jeff Shenot reporting our sightings at Jug Bay this evening.  I only caught a slight mistake in his list.  It was a Franklin's Gull that I saw before everyone else arrived, not a Bonaparte's Gull.

The Franklin's Gull was a beautiful adult in full breeding plumage, including a nice pink wash underneath.  This was a completely unexpected surprise as I was ignoring the gulls until this bird flew through my scope.  This bird had very limited black on the end of the wing and reminded me of a white-winged gull.  Very neat bird, I haven't seen one since last April in TX where I'll will be seeing more in another week.  I watched this bird flying around the river for several minutes before it settled in the water, then moved to a flat where I lost it in the gull mix.  A few minutes later, I watched it take off and head toward the Chesapeake.  I don't know what the odds would be, but this bird may be back with the afternoon gull flock tomorrow.

Matt Hafner
College Park, MD

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