During my lunch break I went to Port Covington shopping center to check out
the ducks that hang out there. After checking Ferry Bar Park I went the
Winans Cove side of the shopping center and there, resting on the exposed
gravel with 21 Ringed-billed Gull, was slightly larger, evenly colored,
gray-brown gull. I’m not 100% sure that it is a first-winter Thayers Gull;
but I thought I should post this sighting.

I recorded the following notes while looking through the scope:
Slightly larger than a ring-billed Gull -- even gray-brown color (like a 40%
tint of black) -- While yawning and the gape in pinkish -- The beak is dark,
a little bit lighter near base -- slightly dark around the black eyes --
Primaries are dark to the tip; but not black -- Leg is a warm fleshy
coloration (pinkish) with light color or feathers at the top -- Chin
slightly lighter than throat — short evenly-colored tail in flight, a little
darker than rump.

I visited Herring Gull vs. Thayer's Gull page on the thebirdguide.com web
site to get more information (because I did not have a field guide or pocket
camera with me) and I think it might be the Thayers. This site notes
Thayer’s having a rounder head – it fits the appearance of the bird I saw;
but I didn’t know to look for this characteristic.

After a short time it flew out over the water and toward Fort McHenry.

The locations are: Ferry Bar Park (39.25720, -76.61014) and Winans Cove
(39.26072, -76.60698)

Keith Eric Costley
*
*Randallstown, Baltimore County