A big thanks to Jane Kostenko and Phil Davis as well as all the other Maryland birders who kept information about the Kelp Gull at Sandgates and the Slaty-backed Gull at Conowingo Dam flowing. Jane's posts have included excellent directions to Sandgates so I won't repeat them here. Those of you thinking of going to can get directions from Rick Blom to Conowingo Dam.

I finally got a couple of days freed up to make the chase and drove from Ohio to Sandgates, MD on Tuesday. After an all too short stay at a motel nearby, I arrived at the Sea Breeze Restaurant at 7:05 am on Wednesday, 2/24 and pulled up at the entrance to the dock by the restaurant. There were no other birders about (sorry I missed you, Jane.) The first thing I saw was the Kelp Gull on the 12th piling out from shore about 50 feet from my

car. I studied the bird for about five minutes and, just as I was thinking to get out the scope and set up on the bird, it flew out to the top of the "T" of the dock, about 75 feet away. I watched it fly and settle but it remained there for only a minute or two and then took off again behind the Sea Breeze. I lost it and, after looking at the other birds around while waiting for the Kelp Gull to reappear, I decided to head out for Conowingo Dam. I left on the 3.5 hour drive via Washington and Baltimore at 7:35.

About 11:00 I arrived at Conowingo Dam. At first I despaired of finding the Slaty-backed Gull among the thousands of Herring and Black-backed Gulls but set up the scope and began scanning the front of the dam. I never did find the bird at rest but it flew through the scope a couple of times and I had a few good looks through the binocs

before abandoning the spot at 11:55. Again, no other birders were there while I was.

I left at once to return to Ohio and pulled into my drive before 11:00 pm. What an exciting trip!

This trip would have been much more complicated and the planning prohibitively time consuming without a Garmin GPS-III receiver hooked to my laptop running DeLorme's "Street Atlas USA, v6.0." This made getting to the point where I could follow directions and the directions themselves fool-proof, which is not easy because we fools are so ingenious. It also saved me a great deal of time by showing a direct route from Conowingo Dam home. The great disadvantage of the rig is that it occupies the entire passenger side of the Jeep's cockpit.

Thanks again to all those Chatters who provided information and encouragement to see these great birds!