I was just looking at the Kitsap Co. checklist published in _Washington
Birder_ earlier this year and noticed that Franklin's Gull is coded as a
"5," the scarcest designation. If that is correct, a winter-plumage
Franklin's gull Mary Ellen and I saw this past Sunday, 12 Nov, is
worth mentioning. It was floating in the water right off the side of the
ferry boat at the dock at Kingston ca 4:15pm. We had very good looks at
it and very clearly saw the nearly complete, well-defined gray cap and
broad white eye crescents.

David Wright
dwright at u.washingotn.edu