I've posted a few poor shots of the possible 2nd cycle Thayer's Gull that I
saw on Saturday, 12/22 along the Anacostia River. I'm not sure Kumlien's
Iceland Gull can be ruled out, however I believe the quite dark primaries
and the bulkiness of the bird (in the body, the head and bill) point towards
Thayer's. But I was viewing the bird from across the river and even with my
Swarovski scope, it was still had to scrutinize all the details.
Go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/cheep.paul/InterestingGull41207
Comments welcome.
By the way, I went back today (Monday), but the gull numbers were
significantly lower than on Saturday. Nothing particularly noteworthy,
except perhaps that there are still some Laughing Gulls hanging around - I
saw at least 2, possibly 3. They're usually gone by January.
At Constitution Gardens today there were c.25 Ring-necked Ducks, 1 Redhead,
4 Bufflehead, and the pair of American Wigeon.
Good birding,
Paul Pisano
Arlington, VA |