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Horry County Landfill 2-21




Hi Carolinabirders,
	Today 5 folks including Bob Maxwell, Gary Phillips, Bernie Swanekamp also
his brother-in-law Jack from Vermont, and I went to the Horry County
Landfill. 
A good day to watch gulls as most of the approximately 5,000 were arrayed
nicely on the ground rather than swirling in the air.  We did find one
GLAUCOUS GULL or ? . All right I'll concede that it was most likely a
glaucous.  However, two things bothered me.  The bird was undoubtedly a
first winter possibly changing to first summer plumaged bird.  The bill,
however was dark for the terminal 2/3 rds of its length with a fleshy pink
basal 1/3. The demarcation between the light and dark of the bill was not
sharp. Second the bird was about Herring Gull size.  I always think of
Glaucous as being closer to Gt Black-backed size. However in other respects
the bird did resemble Glaucous with the mottling of the upperparts rather
coarse and smudgy unlike the finer spotting (mottling) of an Iceland.  The
bill and head size and shape were also rather large unlike the rather dove
like shape that the Iceland on Saturday had. 
	Another curious thing was that the two Lesser Black-backed's we had today
lacked the prominent winter hood (head streaking) of this species in
winter.  Is it normal that they be in adult summer plumage (at least in the
head) this early?

Jack Peachey
Conway,SC
ppaw@sccoast.net