Hi Everyone,

I had meant to post about this earlier (sorry, crazy week), but it appears that one of the gulls spending time at Fairmount WMA (East Impoundment), Somerset Co. is a BLACK-HEADED X RING-BILLED GULL HYBRID. There are a number of photos of this bird, which I believe is not the same bird as originally noted on the Montgomery Bird Club field trip last Saturday. While the two-bird theory is always contentious, remember that our last BHGU x RBGU (Eagle Harbor, P.G.) was traveling with an apparently pure individual. There are a number of features noted on Saturday that are inconsistent with later photos. I owe some people out there e-mail responses, but I wanted to get the word out for others visiting the area. If you go, please try to get lots of photos and we'll sort them all out later. :) You gotta love gulls!

Have a good one,

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com