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Subject:

Thayer's Gull returns to Schoolhouse Pond

From:

Fred Shaffer

Reply-To:

Fred Shaffer

Date:

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:45:32 -0500

It was the first decent gull day at Schoolhouse Pond in over three weeks.  The small amount of ice on the pond (which is rapidly melting) attracting a nice assortment of gulls today.  The highlight was a first year Thayer's Gull that I got great scope views of as it stood on the ice.  Also of note were 13 Great Black-backed Gulls that flew in during the 1/2 hour I was out.  Total numbers were:

529 Ring-billed Gulls
120 Herring Gulls
13 Great Black-backed Gulls (7 adults, 2 3rd winter, 2 2nd winter and 2 1st winter gulls).
Thayer's Gull

It was interesting that no Great Black-backed Gulls were present when I went out, but all 13 had flown in before I left, perhaps indicating the on-going turnover of the gulls at the pond.  With all the black-backed gulls flying in, I was hoping a Glaucous Gull would fly in also, but to no avail.  However, there were incredible numbers of gulls coming and going the whole time I was out looking.  Also of note is that I have had no Laughing Gulls since December 6th.  Usually I have them through the last or next-to-last week in December.

Regarding the Trumpeter Swan (which is present today), it is the same swan (#962) that has been around the pond since 2006.  However, when it left the pond last spring and ended up in Paper Mill Flats for a short period, it evidently lost its wing tags.  However, as noted earlier the leg band is still present and confirms that it is the same bird.

Fred Shaffer

Patuxent MOS