Les,
   Never having seen an adult Thayer's Gull in the east perhaps I should not be questioning anyone else's observation.  However, everything in your description of the bird seems, to me, consistent with a small Herring Gull.  What field marks were definitive for you?
   Also, you didn't mention what age Iceland Gull you saw.  I hope to be in Ocean City in two weeks with other bird clubs on Presidents Day weekend to look for these birds.
   Thank you.

Bob Ringler
Eldersburg MD

 
---- Les Roslund <> wrote: 
> 	Saturday afternoon, while sharing the Ocean City Inlet viewing
> platform with Brad Lanning and Tom Harten, Brad called our attention to an
> unusual-looking gull amongst the 50 or so gulls that were basking in the
> warm sun of the perfect late-afternoon lighting on the inlet parking lot.
> The unusual bird was the only one of its size, and for calibration purposes
> had an adult Herring gull standing at one side and an adult Ring-billed Gull
> on the other side.  Besides size, the heavy streaking on head and back of
> neck, and what appeared to be a hooked bill had been what caught Brad's
> attention.  The bird was clearly smaller than the Herring Gulls, but much
> larger than the Ring-billed Gulls; had pink legs, yellow bill and bright red
> spot on lower mandible. Other markings, except for the streaked head and
> neck, were quite similar to those of the Herring Gull adults. Later, with a
> little help from reference books retrieved from the car, we concluded that
> we had been staring at an adult Thayer's Gull.  The excessively long and
> down-curved upper mandible would suggest that this may have been a quite old
> bird, or else a bird that somehow had not been eating in a way that would
> wear that mandible down to normal length.
> 	Our main viewing target from the platform was a flock of eider
> bouncing near the breaking waves well to the east of the jetty.  Both Common
> and King Eider could be resolved in the flock of 14 or more birds, including
> one Common Eider male in close-to full breeding plumange.
> 	Brad mentioned having seen an Iceland Gull on the parking lot
> earlier in the day.  The next morning I (along with Talbot County Bird Club
> members) had the fun of viewing that bird also, over on the channel island
> as seen from 4th Street.
> 
> Les Roslund
> Easton, MD