In case anyone out there is sitting on the edge of his/her seat waiting for
the results of my literature review regarding the first of the two
interesting gulls seen along the Anacostia River last Saturday (the one
suggesting Yellow-legged Gull), I'm afraid the best I can tell you is that I
don't know what it is.  While the most likely conclusion (in terms of
probabilities) is that it's an American Herring Gull at the pale end of the
spectrum, and some features support that, I'm still not completely
comfortable with that conclusion.  Nor am I comfortable calling it a
Yellow-legged Gull.  So unless it's refound and better photographed, I think
it's best left in the "one that got away" category.

By the way, I went back on Sunday with Gary Allport and Frank Hawkins, and
we did not refind the bird.

And FYI, I've posted five more photos of the runt Ring-billed Gull on the
Picasa site:  http://picasaweb.google.com/cheep.paul/InterestingGull31207.
These were taken by Michael Szabo.

Good birding,
Paul Pisano
Arlington, VA