Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded the Sequim area, starting with the
SLATY-BACKED GULL along Schmuck Rd., accessed off of Port Washington Rd.
The bird was present briefly at 10:15am, just south of the Lavender Farm
and north of the Batelle Research Area. The gull flock in which the bird
was present with consisted of mainly the 50-75 "Olympic" Gulls present
during prior observations made by other birders. The bird was foraging in
the grassy field directly south of the cabbage field. The bird quickly flew
off to the east, then out of sight. The weather was quite windy during our
entire stay in the area, with minor showers, and partial sunbreaks. The
bird appeared to be much paler mantled than "typical" SLATY-BACKS I have
encountered, mainly including both Tacoma birds, Nisqually NWR, and my
Revelstoke bird, possibly sex or age, in which they can very in contrast,
but the combination of large white tertials, smudgy eye, fairly staight
dull yellow bill, "dusky" underwings and a finely streaked head(winter
plumage), are believable field marks in distinguishing this species from
other similiar Larus gulls in winter. While in Sequim we also managed to
bird other localities including the Dungeness Rec. Area, where 2
SHORT-EARED OWLS, 2 SAVANNAH SPARROWS, and 1 N.SHRIKE were observed, 1
EUR.WIGEON, and 1 EARED GREBE at Cline Spit, 1 M.DOVE and 2 W.MEADOWLARKS
at the Skylark field along E.Anderson Rd., 125 Dunlin, 45 B.B.Plovers, 23
Sanderlings, and 10 B.Turnstones at the Dungeness Oyster House at low
tide(1:30pm), and finally 1 adult PEREGRINE FALCON, 10 TRUMPETER SWANS, 2
EUR.WIGEONS along Schmuck Rd., north of the Batelle Research Area, with 2
W.SANDPIPERS at the Batelle Lagoon with 48 Dunlin.

Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net