Hi all,

I have posted pictures of the Franklin's Gull that Fred Shaffer found
today at Schoolhouse Pond, they can be viewed at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeycerw/

Great bird!  Thanks Fred!!

Mikey Lutmerding
Croom, MD

On Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 4:15 PM, hans holbrook <> wrote:
> The gull was still present until around 3pm. Mikey Lutmerding was there before I arrived and informed me of the sighting, as I was just dropping by unknowingly. He located the bird and we watched it for about half an hour. Jeff Shenot showed up got on the bird and within a minute or two it got up and circled and headed out. Great find Fred!
> Hans HolbrookCrofton, MD
>
> --- On Wed, 11/4/09, Fred Shaffer <> wrote:
>
> From: Fred Shaffer <>
> Subject: [MDOSPREY] Franklin's Gull at Schoolhouse Pond
> To: 
> Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 1:17 PM
>
> My lunchtime gull observations at Schoolhouse Pond turned up an adult Franklin's Gull.  The field marks that turned me onto this neat bird were the dark half hood, very bold, very promient eye rings, small, straight bill (very noticeable in comparison to the surrounding Laughing Gulls), and more rounded head (again, fairly noticeable in direct comparison with Laughing Gulls).   Although the plumage marks were right for a Franklin's, what really stood out was the structural differences between the bird and nearby Laughing Gulls.  The bill was much shorter and straighter (without the droop) when directly compared to the Laughing Gulls.  The white eye crescents were also noticeably thicker than any of the surrounding Laughing Gulls in direct comparison.
>
> The gull had fairly large white mirrors on the folded primaries.  Unfortunately, the gulls were very skittish and the Franklin's and surrounding Laughing Gulls flushed and flew off in a large group.  The Franklin's had pale flight feathers (on the underwing) when it was in flight, but due to the mass of flying gulls I never got a good look at the primaries of the extended wing.  My gull totals included:  629 Laughing Gulls, 29 Ring-billed Gulls, 5 Herring Gulls and 1 Franklin's Gull (plus one Red-tailed Hawk that probably scared off another couple hundred gulls while I was out there).  I am not sure if the Franklin's is still present.  As I said, it flew off in a large group and I lost sight of the bird.  But some of the gulls did circle around and return.
>
> Other birds of note included 5 Bufflehead (this morning) and 1 Rusty Blackbird (morning of Nov. 3).
>
> Fred Shaffer
> 
> Patuxent MOS
>
>
>
>
>