FWIW.  

Hopefully this is not an April Fool's spoof.

Rob Hilton

Bethesda MD

+++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: Probable Ross's Gull, Lapidum, MD
From: AUrqu AT AOL.COM
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2005 08:38:46 EST

Hello DE-BIRDers -

Yesterday in the late morning I saw what I now believe
was an adult Ross's Gull at Lapidum, MD.  Here's what
I saw:

Small gull, comparable in size to the Bonaparte's it
was with.

Uniform medium gray underwing color (darker than any
of the Bonaparte's but obviously much lighter than the
underwing color of the Little Gulls).

Uniform light gray upperwing and back  No white
leading edge on the wings as with Bonaparte's.

White rump with longish, wedge-shaped tail (seen
clearly when the bird banked with the dark opposite
shore as a background).

Small bill.

White head with dark spot behind eye.

Comparing to the Sibley guide, these fit very well
only with Ross's.
However, I did not notice any white trailing edges on
the wings or pinkish color on the underparts.

The bird was seen only in flight and only in the scope
at a considerable distance under moderate viewing
conditions.  The bird was foraging, not just flying
by.
At the time I was searching through a fairly large
Bonaparte's flock for Little (I saw at least a couple)
and Black-headed (I saw none) Gulls that had been 
previously reported there.  When I saw it I had no
idea what this bird was, and I was so focused on my
target birds that I didn't even look in my field guide
until late last night (hence the late posting).

I have no prior experience with this species, but the
distinctive field marks noted seem pretty convincing.

Lapidum, MD is the first point of road access on the
SW side of the Susquehanna River upstream from the
I-95 bridge (opposite Port Deposit). See DeLorme p.
77, B/C 4.

Good birding!

Andy Urquhart
Newark, DE




		
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