Along with Gene Scarpulla and Sean McCandless I co-lead an MOS gull field trip to the Elkton landfill and North East park yesterday.  While we were in the parking lot waiting to go into the landfill we scoped a group of birds near the workface which included a 1st year Glaucous Gull.  Our group of 26 (!) then moved onto the landfill.  The current topography of the site meant we could not see the majority of birds but we did have 3 Lesser Black-backs, 2 adults and a pale-backed 3rd winter as well as good views of the common 3 species both at rest and in flight.  We did not refind the Glaucous Gull.  
 
The bitter cold moved us off the "hill" to North East park where we found a group of around 300 or so gulls resting on the ice. This included a third (different) adult Lesser Black-back, a first cycle of the same species and a pale American Herring Gull-type bird. This bird had mid-brown primaries with faint pale edging; it was not particularly worn or faded, with the coverts being white with distinct narrow brown bars; the upperparts were very pale with bars/anchor marks although the tail looked typical for American Herring. It was fairly big-headed and had extensive pink at the base of the sizeable bill.  All of this ruled out Thayer's but we were left wondering if it was a Nelson's Gull or a backcross of this, especially given how distinctly pale the primaries were.  The group then moved onto Woody's for some excellent crab soup and seafood, and to warm up.
 
A big thanks to Maryanne Dolan for her hard work in putting this trip together (which entailed locating hard hats and vests for all of us!), to Sean and Gene for co-leading and to all the participants for coming out in the Arctic conditions. And especially to the landfill management for their continuing generosity in hosting organized trips for birders when most others have closed their doors completely.
 
Clive Harris
Cabin John, MD