> Hi Ray,
>
> 6-8 Herrings out of 50 gulls seems like a huge number. I doubt I've seen
> 8 Herring Gulls total in the three years I've lived in Cascadia. And
> that's out of lots of gulls I've inspected closely - well up into the
> thousands or tens of thousands. I'm sure my birding habits, which mostly
> keep me near the Puget Sound waterfront, must work against my crossing
> paths with Herring Gulls, but what is it, do you think, that attracts them
> to your campus in such numbers?
>
This is as many as I've seen at Clark in one group, but there are places
in Portland where one can find numerous Herrings--particularly the Sauvie
Island Pellet Plant. The gulls around here tend to be like many of the
water birds--they wander around the area looking for food, and the mix
here changes nearly every day. I must admit to having been somewhat
shocked myself at the number of this type: Usually I'll get a Thayer's
and/or a Herring, but not 10 total. RK
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ray Korpi "A person is a person, no matter how small."
Hm: Portland, OR --Dr Seuss, "Horton Hears a Who"
Wk: Clark College
Vancouver, WA
rkorpi at clark.edu