During my otherwise quiet walk around Schoolhouse Pond this morning, I had one flock of 15 or so flyover Laughing Gulls heading from the northwest to the southeast, roughly from the direction of the Brown Station Road landfill towards Jug Bay. There was one much smaller gull on the edge of the flock with a different gizz than the rest of the gulls.   I got on the birds immediately and saw the much smaller gull on the lefthand side of the group.  Although I didn't have time to get a picture (the birds where continuously in flight from NW to SE and than out of sight), I did take some brief field notes immediately after the fact that included:

-  much smaller size, just slightly larger than 1/2 the size (wingspan and length) of the Laughing Gulls
-  wingshape different, slightly more rounded wingtips than the Laughing Gulls, even when slightly swept back in flight.
-  Noticeably different body shape than the Laughing Gulls.  The body of course was smaller, but also more compact    than the more elongated body and wings of the Laughing Gulls
-  Body was white.  Underwings were a whitish but slightly darker than the body (consistent with a 1st winter Little Gull)
-  Short, squared  tail, I couldn't make out a tailband in the brief flyover view
-  The gulls were flying as a group, at one point slightly shifting direction more towards the east.  The Little Gull flew in unison (same speed, general direction, and shifts in direction) as the group of larger Laughing Gulls.
-  The birds were in fairly tight flock, probably 150 feet or so up (pretty typical height for the flyover gulls at Schoolhouse Pond).  They flew directly overhead and I had them in binocular view for 20 or 30 seconds.

     I ruled out a 1st winter Bonaparte's Gull based on the very small size, body shape (small and compact) and wingshape (less pointed) of the bird.  The much more unlikely Ross's Gull is ruled out by the extremely small size relative to the Laughing Gulls and the squared tail.  I only viewed the gulls from below.  They continued to fly to the southeast and out of view.  

     I've watched for Little Gulls at Schoolhouse Pond in the groups of flyover Bonaparte's Gulls for the last 11+ springs, without success.  I never expected to see one in the fall, with Laughing Gulls.  It is interesting to note that in the four or five Black-headed Gull sightings at Schoolhouse Pond in recent years, the BHGU has always been in the company of Ring-billed Gull flocks.  None have been associated with migrating Bonaparte's Gulls.  Of the many, many gulls I've seen at and over Schoolhouse Pond, this was the first Little Gull!

Fred Shaffer

Crofton, MD