A winter adult BLACK-TAILED GULL was discovered at 8:30 this morning off the 2nd Ave Jetty in Cape May feeding with hundreds of other gulls along the shore. After ten minutes the bird worked its way northeastward along the shore. As of 9:30 the bird had not been relocated. It has a pristine tail pattern (very distinctive), dark slate gray mantle blending into blackish wingtips, a long, slightly droopy thinnish bill with a dull red tip and black band bordering that proximally. There is a gray-tan cloudiness to the rear of the head, with the back of that color being particulalry well defined, giving the rear of the head a weak dark ring or border, somewhat like that of Ross's Gull (but not exactly, of course).

It was first spotted by Brian Sullivan and also seen by Crossley, Finnegan, and myself. But that's it so far.

I'll post an update as soon as anything changes substantially, or no later than late today if nothing changes.

This stretch of coast (Cape May and Cape May Point) has had large feeding flocks of gulls on a daily basis for quite some time, with early-to-mid-morning being the best time as of late. Lots of large gulls. Yesterday there were many Bonaparte's Gulls present as well and including one first-winter Little Gull. Also many lingering Laughing Gulls.

Paul Lehman