I took this week off after quite a few weeks out of the country recently and went down to Ocean City inlet and other spots on the Eastern Shore today.  I must admit I've made the trip to the inlet a number of times only to wonder why - well, today I was reminded why its worth the effort.
   
  Heading towards the inlet I spotted the Peregrine on the water tower.  One of the first birds I saw in the inlet itself was the 1st year KUMLIEN'S GULL that has been reported for a while now, in very close on the rocks below the parking lot.  I got one decent picture before it flew off:
   
  http://www.harrisbirds.com/Kumliens%20Feb%20MD2.htm
   
  I scanned the impressive scoter flocks and came up with 9 eider, all COMMON - 5 male, all immature, and 4 female.  There must have been around 3000 or so scoter visible from the inlet, around 90% being Surf and the rest Common (could not find White-winged) with smaller numbers of Long-tailed Duck and Red-breasted Merganser.
   
  I then noticed an alcid had come in close to the wall on the incoming tide.  Thinking it would be a Razorbill I raised my bins to look at it and was very surprised to see it was a THICK-BILLED MURRE.  I got a few pictures, not good ones since it was moving in very fast and I had to run to keep within range:
   
  http://www.harrisbirds.com/Murre.htm
   
  This was a life bird for me - first in Maryland for quite some time - so I had to phone a couple of people to check on the ID.  It moved very fast into the inlet and disappeared.  I searched from the 4th st flats and a few other points but could not find it.  I went back to the inlet and couldn't find it but did turn up a HARLEQUIN DUCK, a subadult male.
   
  After that I headed off to the Salisbury landfill where I had a fine time sorting through the gulls.  About half an hour of scanning turned up a first year GLAUCOUS GULL and then soon after a first year KUMLIEN'S GULL, this one a very dainty bird.  Shortly after that I found a first year "NELSON'S" GULL.  Very similar in coloration to a dark Kumlien's with medium brown tertials and primaries, the latter with white sub-terminal "v"'s, but with the Glaucous bill and short-winged shape.  I know some believe many claimed "Nelson's" are just dark Glaucous but this was well beyond the range of any Glaucous I have seen, in person or in photos.
   
  As well as those, there were 7 diffferent adult Lesser-black Backed Gulls, as well as one sub-adult, one 2nd winter and two different 1st winters.  I also came across this bird, which was intermediate in upperparts shade and leg coloration between the Lesser Black-backs present and American Herring:
   
  http://www.harrisbirds.com/UNID3.htm
   
  I am not sure if it is just a very pale graellsii, or a hybrid between the two, or who knows what.  It was a slim bird, like graellsii, so perhaps that's all it is. Note that the conditions alternated between sun and clouds so the upperparts of the bird look a different shade in the pics - best to compare them to the birds nearby in each picture.  If anyone has any thoughts please let me know.
   
  I then went on to a few other places, turning up a ROSS'S GOOSE in a Canada flock near Beulah.  Then I checked out the gull roost at Tanyard - best bird was a 1st winter GLAUCOUS GULL that came in from the north and then headed out over the river.
   
  Good birding
   
  Clive Harris
  Cabin John MD