Dear All

A very interesting morning a-gulling on the Anacostia this morning.  Greg 
Butcher and I joined Paul Pisano having heard his first hand description of a 
biggish gull which sounded very intersting.  We got there in time for me to 
have 5 seconds looking at the bird perched then a longer in flight view as it 
left and Greg's views were even less good.  I will leave it to Paul to post 
details and he has some photos.  Interesting bird.

Whilst trying to refind that bird we almost immediate came upon a remarkably 
well marked ring-billed type gull in first winter plumage.  We were able to see 
it well and photograph it and Gail and Barry kindly came down to the 
Anancostia to give us another opinion.  Overall I think it will prove to be a 
very late hatched first year Ring-billed Gull but we will post photos for 
comment.  Gail and Barry were still looking at the bird mid morning so if other 
want to take a look then do contact them, but I have given the location 
below.

The bird was very slightly overall smaller in size than other ringers, but was of 
lighter build and was distinctly daintier in flight, on the water and when 
perched up.  It had a slightly shorter slimmer bill than the ringers with a more 
curved culmen, and the bill appeared all dark at a distance, but was dark pink 
at the base close up.  The legs were a dark muddy pinkish colour, and much 
less strongly coloured that the nearby ringers of the same age. The crown 
was more rounded giving it a more dove-like face.  It was very finely marked 
showing clean grey tones, a narrow cleanly demarkated black tail band and it 
had very narrow clean white fringes to the primaries (so in very fresh 
plumage). But, the mantle was of exactly the same shade of grey as the first 
winter ringers adjacent which I suspect counts Mew/Common out.  

Gail and Barry found it easy to pick out and I thought it was a remarkably 
distinctive little bird.  Overall, I suspcet that the colour of the bill and legs and 
the freshness of the plumage will point to a late hatched/late maturing ring-bill 
which is perhaps at the very extreme small end of the size scale.

If you want to take a look then it was hanging around with about 100 or so 
other ringers just north of the Rt275 Anacostia bridge, adjacent to the first 
pull off on the riverward side of the road and opposite a small marina.  I picked 
up the bird whilst it was on the roof of the marina across the river - that was 
where Paul's larger gull had been a few minutes earlier - and it then flew 
across to feed on bread thrown out for the geese and gave very good close 
views. 

Hope to post pix shortly

We also saw a few birds in Kenilworth park - 3 Savanna Sparrows, 2 Palm 
Warblers being the most notable itmes.

Gary Allport