Hans Holbrook and I were at Schoolhouse Pond today from about 2pm - 4:30pm.  We watched gulls drop into the pond until about 4pm when they started taking off again.  The numbers were certainly not as impressive as those Fred reported in the morning.  We found 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, all 1st-winter and all after 3:30pm.  There were 3 Laughing Gulls when we arrived and about 20 or so at 4pm.  The only other interesting gull was a leucistic 1st-winter Herring Gull.  The bird was almost completely white on the back and upper wings except that the primaries and secondaries were very pale brown and there were brown splotches on the mantle.  
 
Prior to Schoolhouse Pond, we birded Wharf Rd and Accokeek Creek with Jim Stasz.  We failed to find Eared Grebe or Eurasian Wigeon, but there were large numbers of waterfowl at both locations.  We also located a Red-headed Woodpecker on Bryans Point Rd.  
 
Matt Hafner
Bel Air, MD
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Fred Shaffer <>
To: 
Sent: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 08:43:40 -0500
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Lesser Black-backed Gull at Schoolhouse Pond


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