As I drove up to Schoolhouse Pond this morning at 7 AM, I was surprised to
see a large group of gulls sitting on the ice. It was well before
sunrise. Typically the only gulls I see this time of day are flyover
gulls, sometimes in large numbers, heading to the landfill. But this is
the first time I can recall such a large group at this time of the morning
just sitting on the ice. The highlight was an adult Lesser Black-backed
Gull. Making up the rest of the group were approximately 500 Herring
Gulls and over 900 Ring-billed Gulls. Since the local Bald Eagle didn't
cruise over this morning, I had a nice chance to scan through the flock.
There were six Laughing Gulls yesterday, but none today.
Fred Shaffer
Patuxent Bird Club
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