What characters did you use to distinguish it as looking like a petrels?
Generally speaking petrels only wind up on the beach dead or nearly so.
When nearly so, there feet are tucked up so laying on the beach is a more
accurate description.

A description would be helpful, but I'm guessing you saw a Heermann's Gull.
They are small, dark and different looking.

>
>Tuesday I saw a distinctive bird at Myrtle Edward's Park that looked
>like a Petrel. But, there was only one and it was on the ground with
>Gulls. Is this probable/possible?
>
>Jane Stewart
>Research Center
>Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC
>(206) 447-6474
>f(206) 447-9700
>1111 Third Avenue, 3400
>Seattle, WA 98101-3299
>
>>
>
>

--
********************************* I am but mad north-north-west;
* Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR * when the wind is southerly,
* mpatters at orednet.org * I know a hawk from a handsaw.
http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters -ws