Tweets,

I saw about a half dozen Bonaparte's Gulls off South Whidbey Island state
park yesterday. Or, at least I *think* I saw immatures. These birds had a
black terminal band on the tails, no hood (but a dark spot behind the eyes),
somewhat mottled wings, with at least one having a blackish band on the tips
of the trailing wing feathers (apologies for lack of the correct terms here -
would "tips of the primaries and secondaries" be more accurate?).

Question: are these likely immatures from this year's breeding, are they
immatures from last year? The range map in the National Geographic guide
indicates they are in their wintering grounds; does this imply that immatures
migrate this early, or is this an atypical observation?


Thanks for any responses.

--
Michael Patrick
University of Washington Medical Center
Department of Radiation Oncology, RC-08
1959 NE Pacific St.
Seattle, WA. 98195
mike at radonc.washington.edu
(206) 548-4536