What a beauty of a day to work at home!  The morning was serene and birds seemed inactive until late morning.  Maybe they were enjoying a reprieve from frigid weather, and in no rush to find food.  Though cold, it seemed balmy after the weather of the last couple weeks.  Gulls started arriving today after Noon, and began slowly aggregating on the PG side in one of their favorite loafing areas near the mouth of Western Branch (just up from Mt Calvert Manor).  Around 2:15, I took a break from work to look and went outside with my scope to scan the flock.  These birds were very distant, but I could still id most of them, and to my surprise I quickly saw what I thought might be a white-winged gull.

It was sitting among about 1600 gulls, and was not in full view due to a gull in front of it.  It had Herrings and Ringers on either side and was clearly between them size-wise, and had a solid dark bill that was diagnostically small.  It had a pale head, back and shoulder (what I could see) and my first impression was a 1st-winter Iceland, but something looked different.  I had seen one a couple times here already this year, and this bird was clearly not as white, sort of a dirtier look than typical Iceland color.  After several minutes some gulls got up and it stood up, giving me a good look at it in the perfect sun.  I was thinking "Thayer's?"  Then a second wave got up and it got up with the them.  I could clearly see a pale band in its tail as it flew, but then I lost it in the huge swirling flock.  An adult Bald Eagle passed by and landed on the opposite shore (AA Co).  I then checked my gull books while the gulls milled in the air, hoping they would settle soon.  I was pretty convinced, but not certain and I wanted another and a better look!

The gulls settled and I went over to Mt Calvert, in hopes of finding it again and getting a close and better look.  But another adult eagle came by and roused the gulls again.   It circled once and then did something I haven't seen before.  I have always wondered why gulls are so frantic about eagles.  I've seen eagles (especially juveniles for some reason) go after waterfowl, but never gulls, until today.  A lone gull was standing next to the river and the eagle stooped on it, and to my surprise the gull just sat there and the eagle nailed it.  The gull was an adult Ring-billed, and seemed healthy (it flapped a lot until it died) but I have to wonder why it just sat there when the eagle was coming at it.  The eagle then ate the gull ... where are the camera guys when you need them?

After several minutes gulls began landing again, and in a short while most had settled again.  To my great surprise, I refound the gull of interest, sitting again.  The bird gods smiled and it stood up and turned.  This time I could see true colors, and the "dirty" look was due to fine brownish tinting, and the tail and wing primaries were noticeably darker than rest of body, but still very pale compared to a 1st winter Herring gull's, which I had several to compare to nearby.  I was certain now - 1st-winter Thayer's!  And after a few minutes the gulls all got up again as one of the eagles came by in a power flight, but did not go after any.  I got a great look at the Thayer's in flight, but only briefly, sine I lost it agin in the mass of swirling gulls.  After this, about 1,000+ gulls left, and many headed toward Upper Marlboro but the rest headed east toward the Bay.

Highlights:

Ring-billed Gull 1060, mostly adults
Herring Gull 550, about 3/4 adults
Thayer's Gull 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 adult
Greater Black-backed Gull 2, 1 ad. and 1 2nd-winter

In other bird news, we still have the Baltimore Oriole coming to our feeders, and 2 American Tree Sparrows, but I did not see any Fox Sparrows here today.

Cheers!!
Jeff Shenot
Croom Md