Just a quick note on today's gull activity at Schoolhouse Pond:  There has been a huge flock of gulls on the ice of Schoolhouse Pond for most of the day today.  My lunchtime count consisted of 1,260 Ring-billed Gulls and 81 Herring Gulls.  I went outside briefly in the PM and the gull flock had grown to at least an estimated 1,800+ gulls.  A quick scan revealed only Ring-billed and Herring Gulls again.  However, they were pretty tightly grouped together on the ice and it is very easy to pass over something rarer, depending on the angle.  The ice is rapidly melting, which I hope won't negatively impact gulls numbers at the pond in coming days.  For whatever reason, in winter the gulls seem to prefer standing on the ice, and numbers tend to drop at Schoolhouse Pond after the ice melts.  Good birding,

Fred Shaffer

Crofton, Anne Arundel

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