Thanks to Fred Shaffer for finding yet another interesting gull at
Schoolhouse Pond, to Jim Stasz for the taking the pictures, and to Matt
Hafner for putting the photos up on the web.  

People who are trying to identify this bird may wish to take a look at
a possible first-cycle Slaty-backed Gull that Alvaro Jaramillo found at
Half Moon Bay, California on Tuesday, 8 February.  He has posted 6 of
his photographs of that bird (and a couple of first-cycle Western Gulls
for comparative purposes) at http://www.birdsofchile.com/sbgu.htm 
[Don't pay any attention to the page-header].  

The 8 Feb bird is the third potential Slaty-backed Alvaro has found and
photographed at the location this year.  The first [13 January] he
believes to have been a second cycle (second winter, Third calendar
year) bird.  The second [20 January and present for a couple of days
afterwards] appears to be a third cycle (third winter, Four calendar
year) bird.  It also seems to have a very good chance of becoming the
first accepted CA record for the species.  Now if only something
similarly distinctive would show up for Fred and Jim in Upper Marlboro.

Sherman Suter
Alexandria VA 22307