VA Birders:
Due to the lack of accessibility to "our own" gull watching sites in
Maryland, a group of a dozen birders from the Montgomery County Bird
Club (a chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society) went on a
field trip today to landfills in Fauquier County, near Warrenton, and
Prince William County (off Rte. 234). Clive Harris of Cabin John,
MD, and I led the trip.
At the Fauquier County landfill we had 5 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS --
2 adults and 3 1st or 2nd winter birds. At the PW landfill we had 2
1st winter ICELAND GULLS and a 1st winter GLAUCOUS GULL. At PW, we
also had 8 BALD EAGLES (3 of them adults) and a very active and
acrobatic young, very heavily streaked, PEREGRINE FALCON. We also
had an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull at the PW landfill. We did not
see a Laughing Gull anywhere. Doubtless they are down on the golf
courses of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina!
Thanks to the good folks who run the landfills, who are so tolerant
of us birders, and congratulations to you northern VA birders who
can still get to these very nice, birdy, gull-filled sites. Please
continue to be be real nice to the people who run them, so that
birders everywhere can visit.
Thanks Virginia!
Mike Bowen
MD Ornithological Society
Bethesda, MD
D. H. Michael Bowen (Mike)
8609 Ewing Drive
Bethesda MD 20817-3845
Tel/Fax: (301) 530-5764
e-mail: dhmbowen@xxxxxxxxx
