Re: ANS Weekend Trip & CBBT Black-tailed Gull
Elliot Kirschbaum (ekirschb@bcpl.net)
Wed, 17 Feb 1999 19:27:23 -0500
On 2/17/99 11:42 AM Joseph j Halpin said
>The group did locate the Iceland and Glaucous Gulls at the Cherry Hill
>Landfill, Wilmington on Sat. But we were not successful with the
>Black-headed Gull at the Indian R. Inlet on Sun., nor the Black-Tailed
>Gull on the CBBT on Tues.
The Baltimore Bird Club had a trip last weekend from Cape Henlopen, DE to
Pocomoke City, MD on Saturday, and to the CBBT to look for the
Black-tailed Gull on Sunday. Pete Webb, Gail Franz, Nancy Kirschbaum,
Bill Tuttle and his friend Jeanine, and I were somewhat discouraged to
learn from a group of birders that we met at the Eastern Shore of
Virginia NWR, that they had good looks at the gull, on island #4, until
it flew off with all the other gulls about an hour before.
Nevertheless our dauntless group braved the cold and wind of the CBBT,
and searched among the Ring-billed Gulls on island #4 for about 45
minutes, and then went on the island #3. We were delighted to see harbor
seals in the water, and walked along the lea side of the island,
searching among the gulls for the Black-tailed. After about 15 minutes,
the gull was spotted simultaneously by Nancy and Pete. It was hunkered
down among the rocks, and could only be seen by a couple of birders at a
time.
Eventually a group of gulls took flight, and the Black-tailed was among
them, so we all had good looks at it in flight. When it landed, it chose
a prominent rock, in the open and close to us, so we continued to enjoy
the bird. Somehow, all this time, no one noticed the wind nor the cold.
It seemed that everything was bright and warm.
Elliot Kirschbaum
Baltimore, MD USA
mailto:ekirschb@bcpl.net