[va-bird] Thayer's Gull, CBBT 4, 28 December 2002, other gulls.

Greetings...

A tardy email to be sure, however Paul Lehman found an adult Thayer's Gull on 
CBBT Island 4 late Saturday afternoon.  This bird was seen on the ocean side, 
fairly far north on the rocks.  I was fortunately on the bridge span between 
the southern toll gate and Island 1 when I got the call about the bird.  Ned, 
myself and Yann (Icelander with a long last name that I've no idea what it 
is) made a brief stop on Island 1 for Yann to see American Oystercatchers, 
and then we trucked up to 4.  After a few trying minutes, the Thayer's was 
refound.  This was bird 345 for me in Virginia this year, a share of the 
record that I've been chasing.  The bird was not seen again with thorough 
searching midday on Sunday.  Paul also had a first winter Nelson's Gull 
(Herring/Glaucous cross), likely the same bird found by Ned, Alex Merritt and 
myself on 19 December.  

With precious few hours left, the chances of finding another bird are slim, 
but I'll be on post looking at the ocean until dark on 31 December.  There 
are no owls left for me to find, thus my quest ends a few hours early.  

Sue Heath and I found a first winter California Gull to the right of the boat 
ramp at Kiptopeke State Park on 29 December.  This bird has a bill more 
typical of a second year California Gull, and has a fair amount of gray 
feathers coming in on the mantle and scapulars.  It was intermediate in size 
between Herring and Ring-billed Gulls that it was standing with.  
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