Once again, I had an afternoon appointment in Virginia Beach and stopped by
Rudee Inlet afterwards. I was there from 4:20-5:50 pm, and there were several
large gull flocks roosting on the beach north of the jetty. I viewed the first
flock from the boardwalk and found 2 Iceland Gulls present, an adult and an
immature. The immature was strikingly white and easy to pick out of the flock,
while the adult had gray wingtips and blended in well with the other gulls.
Furthermore, both birds had their heads tucked most of the time, but after the
flock shifted position a few times I was able to view the birds side by side at
one point. The adult had disappeared by 5:15, but the immature was still
present and preening when I left.
Other than these birds, over 30 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were present, and the
jetty rocks held 4 Purple Sandpipers. Migration was evidenced with 250 Tundra
Swans and 2 Great Blue Herons flying directly north up the beach. All the
best,
Nick Flanders.
Newport News.
