Black-tailed Gull - Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
Les Eastman (les_eastman@netfox.net)
Fri, 01 Jan 1999 10:25:07 -0500
This was on Carolina Birds. I thought it should get wider distribution.
Les
Subject: Black-tailed Gull - Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 17:14:28 PST
From: "Keith Watson" <shaawitya@hotmail.com>
To: carolinabirds@acpub.duke.edu
Today, December 31, 1998, Pat and Neil Moore, friend Kay (sorry cannot
remember her last name), and myself traveled to the Chesapeake Bay
Bridge Tunnel in search of the Black-tailed Gull reported earlier in the
month.
We drove directly to Island Number 4 and began searching the rocks for
the gull. On the west side of Island Number 4 (Bay side) about half way
down the island Kay and Pat spotted the Black-tailed Gull as it had just
flown in to perch with the many Ring-billed Gulls present. At the same
time I spotted another gull that resembled a Black-tailed Gull about 70
yards farther north on the same side of the island (Bay side). With me
were two Arlington, VA birders, Joe and Barbara (I think) Leopold. We
watched this gull closely because it's bill was tucked under it's back
feathers and we couldn't see the bill colors, but the tail was black.
Eventually the bird pulled it's bill out and showed it's colors, yellow
with red and black markings. WIthin 70 yards of each other were two
Black-tailed Gulls in adult plumage. BOth were photographed by the
Leopolds.
Lots of good closeups of Black Scoter, Surf Scoter, Bonaparte's Gulls,
and Oldsquaw, Great Cormorants, Brant, Red-breasted Mergansers, and the
usual Greater Black-backed, Herring, and Ring-billed Gulls.
Keith Watson
shaawitya@hotmail.com
252-449-0243 Home
252-473-2111 x132 Work
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Les Eastman
les_eastman@netfox.net
Havre de Grace, MD
Visit the Harford Bird Club Web Page at http://birdclub.harfordhasit.com