Hi all,
If anyone gets "eBird alerts" of rare species, there has been mention in
recent reports of a Black-headed Gull on the first island of the Chesapeake
Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Andrew Baldelli called, having seen photographs of the
bird from yesterday, and he indicated that it was not a Black-headed. I
went down at noon today and observed the bird, which has remained with
Laughing Gulls near the restaurant. The bird is an adult Laughing Gull that
is typical in all respects (including calls) but has orange-red legs and
bill base. Several similar birds have been documented in recent winters in
Florida and Mexico (readers of "North American Birds" journal may remember
the images published in color). So it's a striking bird and an interesting
one but is definitely a Laughing Gull rather than another species.
Crossing the Bay yesterday evening, I saw four White Ibis about 3 miles
south of Fisherman Island, an adult and three juveniles, flying northward
over the bridge at about 7:40 p.m. Though it's normal to see White Ibis at
Fisherman Island, I have no previous record of the species over the Bay or
bridge-tunnel itself.
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, Va.
