[va-bird] Prince William County - 11-25-06 - Franklin's Gull, etc.

VA-Birders,
   
  I birded a few areas in Prince WIlliam County today including an impromptu 
stop at Manassas Battlefield, the Nokesville area, and the Prince William 
County landfill.  As you might imagine form the title of my post, I found a 
FRANKLIN'S GULL today, but more on that later.
   
  At Manassas Battlefield near "Sparrow Alley," interesting birds included four 
HORNED LARKS with a LAPLAND LONGSPUR in a field, and two RUSTY BLACKBIRDS.
   
  Nearby Nokesville was birdy, though there are several new roads built into 
previously open fields that will become housing developments in the near 
future.  However, today they provided an access route to a few previously 
inaccessible places.  I noted more than a dozen WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS at 
various places singing away, and one spot off Fleetwood Rd also held a couple 
of SAVANNAH SPARROWS, FIELD SPARROWS, and other species.  I searched for 
Brewer's Blackbirds at the "usual" spot but found a dozen MEADOWLARKS nearby 
instead.
   
  A nearby pond had a RICHARDSON'S CACKLING GOOSE in a flock of a few hundred 
Canadas - sporting a stubby triangular bill and a steeply angled forehead and 
crown as well as much smaller size.  In the same pond was a PIED-BILLED GREBE.
   
  I saved the best for last and hit the PW Co landfill at noon.  Top birds were 
the following:
   
  FRANKLIN'S GULL - Forty minutes of searching through the Laughing Gulls pays 
off!!  Adult bird showing well defined hood, broad white eye arcs, white nape, 
slimmer bill, and bolder primary tips of white.  It showed a small amount of 
white on upperwing between slate and black when it flew.  Underwing mostly 
white.

  ICELAND GULLS (2) - Both very pale juveniles
   
  LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - 1 juvenile
   
  Other birds of note here were similar to what Kurt and Sherman noted 
yesterday, though I did not see the Golden Eagle.  Instead a juvenile PEREGRINE 
FALCON flew overhead and circled a couple of times.
   
  I did find one other confusing gull today, and I'll provide a description: 
Size just larger than a nearby Ring-billed, very pale overall in color (like a 
dark Iceland somewhat) with greyish mottling on the breast.  Mantle was 
"greying" as though it was a 2nd winter bird but had some blotches.  Primaries 
of folded wing were a dark chocolate brown (not black) and were the darkest 
part of the bird.  Head and crown was rounded and "softer" than the Ringer next 
to it.  Nothing I see in books resembles this bird, especially considering it 
was not much bigger than a Ring-billed.  That's all I could get before a 
bull-dozer got between me and the bird and then it was gone.  Any suggestions 
would be appreciated.
   
  Take Care,
   
  Jay Keller,
  Arlington
   
   
   
   

 
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