Rick Romea wrote:

"I think that August in the Pacific Northwest is a *hard* time to sort
out
gulls. They're all in ratty transitional plumage."

Rick is right, this time of year can be tough for Gull ID. My point was
that the 5 gulls I saw were all adults that were very "clean". The field
marks were very evident (eye color, color of bare parts, wing and wing
tip color etc.). I think starting on these breeding plumage adults, the
comparisons to the "ratty" looking gulls is easier based on overall
size, head and bill shape etc. Also, this is a nice quiet place in
Seattle where you can see a diversity of species at a close range.

The reason I brought this topic up in the first place is that I have
talked to many beginning birders who don't even look at gulls because
they think they all look the same and it is too hard to sort them out.

Scott Hoskin
Seattle, WA (Ballard)
bludog at earthlink.net