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Subject:

LAGU retraction and new yard bird

From:

Warblerick

Reply-To:

Warblerick

Date:

Wed, 18 May 2011 09:12:58 -0400

Morning all,
 After an exchange of emails with Bob Ringler, and looking through hundreds of online photos of both species (underwing patterns of breeding plumaged adults), I have changed my thoughts on the Laughing Gulls that flew over here on Sunday May 15, and am back to my initial ID of adult Bonaparte's Gulls. This is still a new yard bird, #136, and not nearly as rare as a LAGU would've been. 

And last evening about 7 PM I was looking out the side door towards the far-off fenceline in our yard, when I saw a bird hopping up and down near the bottom rail, a good ways off. When I finally got a scope on the bird, I saw it swishing its tail back and forth as it sat with its back to me. After it hopped back down into the grass and I thought it was gone, it finally hopped back up to the fence again. Lots of white mottled throughout the breast with a dark blue head and chestnut wing bars, big heavy bluish-silver bill; a 1st spring male BLUE GROSBEAK! Yard bird # 137 and one that Alli sort of predicted. She asked last week about why we didn't get Blue Grosbeaks here, after having seen one from her office window at work (Patuxent). 

I saw it briefly again this morning with the scope as it perched on the fence, then it flew towards the house and across the front yard where I lost it. Hope it might still be around...

Rick Sussman
Woodbine,MD


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