After we were given liberal leave in mid-afternoon, I stopped by Schoolhouse 
Pond again to scan through the gulls one more time with my scope before 
heading home.  Numbers had increased over what I had earlier at lunch.  I few 
more interesting gulls were present, including a 1st winter "Nelson's" Gull 
(Glaucous X Herring hybrid).  The bird was pale and very large, larger then the 
surrounding Herring Gulls.  When I first spotted it, the back half of the perched 
gull was blocked from view and the front, head, and bill looked right for a 1st 
winter Glaucous.  It had the typical 1st year Glaucous Gull bill (pink with a 
black tip).  The mantle, scapulars, and coverts were a very pale, creamy 
tannish white.  But, the tertials were a shade darker then the rest of the 
body, and the folded primaries were a medium brown with pale edges (like a 
1st year Thayer's).  The tertials and primaries were distinctly darker than the 
rest of the gull.  An interesting gull to look at, and a good match for the 
Glaucous X Herring hybrid shown on page 16 of the gull guide.

Also present was an adult gull intermediate in features between Lesser Black-
backed and Herring.  It was the right size and shape for a LBBG, but the legs 
were a much more diffuse, pale color, not bright pink, but not yellow either.  
Once I started to notice the buildup of ice on my scope, I figured it really was 
time to go...

Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS