Subject: off-side Heermann's Gulls
Date: Nov 2 11:02:37 1994
From: Hal Opperman - halop at continuum.com



An addendum to Mike and MerryLynn Denny's posting of October 31: I can't
help about the question of Heermann's Gull records from east of the Cascades
in Washington, but can contribute one astonishing (to us) sighting from
across the Cascades -- in fact, across the Rockies.

On the morning of June 17, 1987, JoLynn Edwards and I observed a Heermann's
Gull at Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge near Malta, Montana. It was with a
huge mixed flock of California, Ring-billed and Franklin's Gulls in the
shallow part of one of the large refuge lakes. Although our vantage point
was perhaps 300 yards distant, nonetheless the bird was unmistakable in the
scope and, almost, with the naked eye, by contrast with the other gulls:
dusky brown above as well as below, red bill, a little smaller than a
California Gull but bigger than the Ring-bills.

We left a sighting report with the refuge manager at the time.

Hal Opperman <halop at continuum.com>
JoLynn Edwards <JoLynn at u.washington.edu>