It was relatively quiet this morning at Schoolhouse Pond, with no new arrivals and not too many flyover birds.  However, I was fortunate to be at the rear observation platform and looking up when a silent, tightly grouped flock of 55 Bonaparte's Gulls flew overhead.  The gulls seemed intent on heading north, unlike many of the morning flyover gulls that appear headed to the Brown Station Road landfill.  As obvious as a flock of this size would seem to be, if I had been in the woods or looking away I would have completely missed them:  they were that quiet and gone that quickly.  However, I did get a pretty good look at the pattern of the underwing of the birds, and saw no gulls that were a different size or shape, or had an all-dark underwing.  The only other gulls that flew over this morning were 14 Laughing Gulls and 9 Ring-billed Gulls.  Also of note were 6 Blue-winged Teal (I counted 7 yesterday at lunch).  I have not seen or heard the Yellow-throated Warbler since Wednesday, although now that I've said that, it will probably be singing relentlessly at lunch today.

Fred Shaffer

Crofton, Anne Arundel

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