Subject: Lesser Black-backed Gull at Walla Walla,WW
Date: Feb 13 19:02:37 2000
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

My mother and I just arrived home after a two-day excursion to Walla Walla
with 700 miles of driving both ways, in search of the LESSER BLACKED-BACKED
GULL. Weather conditions were mainly mixed, with light to moderate snow
showers along I-90 from Snoqualmie Pass east to Ellensburg with patchy snow
and ice in places, and along Hwy. 97 from Ellensburg south to Yakima over
Manastash Ridge, and moderate rain/snow showers from Yakima east to Walla
Walla, with isolated dense fog in places during the early AM on the 12th,
turning to mostly cloudy skies in Walla Walla during the remaining daylight
hours. Weather on the 13th consisted of mainly denser isolated valley fog,
turning to mostly cloudy skies, with isolated partial clearing, then light
snow showers from Hwy.97 to Cle Elum, and partly sunny skies further west.

We arrived at Walla Walla at 7:15am on the 12 at the Walla Walla County
Landfill off of Hwy.12, then waited until 8;30am, when the landfill opened
to the public, as other birders showed up. Dense fog persisted, and light
sleet as we searched from "our" short visit to the landfill, and the
surrounding conditions were very muddy, with mud ankle deep in places, as
the gull flocks were looked through, BUT NO dark mantled gulls, as I fed
them bread to encourage the gulls to allow closer observations for us. The
group of birders, then travelled to the Hussey Rd. onion field, where the
gull had been seen every day during the week, mainly from 9am-11am, after
the initial sighting made at the Walla Walla River Delta. Most of the
birders stood around carefully watching the roosting gull flocks, as they
would come in from the WNW at variable times between 9am-1:30pm, presumably
from the landfill, or the Walla Walla River mouth, but NO LBBG, only a
breeding adult, and a second-winter GLAUCOUS GULL(a first for WA for many),
and one first-year GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL among the many California,
Ring-billed, and Herring Gulls, as they rested, and fed on the many
hand-outs made during the long,cold wait, made by Mike Denny, and myself.
Many of the birders came and went throughout the day, after NO presence of
the gull,so at 1:45pm Mike and MerryLynn Denny, and other birders that were
present along Hussey Rd. at the time went to the Walla Walla River Delta(30
miles west of Walla Walla), in search of the gull. We all scoped and
scanned the delta, as Mike encouraged any nearby gull, with more bread,
then at 2:30pm, Mike announced the presence of the gull, then we all
quickly got on the bird, and watched it at fairly close range, as it fed
with lighter-mantled California and Ring-billed Gulls, allowing good looks
at all the main features, and remained until 4pm. 78 DUNLIN and an adult
GLAUCOUS GULL, presumably the same bird present in Walla Walla earlier in
the day! Few of the remaining birders went to Madame Dorion Park, across
the hwy, where a single tan-striped WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was present, as
it quickly began to get dark. Before dark, Jerry and Sandy Converse of
Grand Coulee followed my mother and I to the McNary NWR headquarters in
Burbank, in search of the ROSS' GOOSE, with NO LUCK, but lots of waterfowl
in general, including an apparent GR.WHITE-FRONTED/SNOW GOOSE.

The next day, the 13th, the four of us, observed a single BURROWING OWL at
the Tri-Cities Airport, and later photographed at 2pm in Pasco,FR, despite
the dense fog at times, then departed as my mother and I went back to Walla
Walla in search for the LBBG again, where we met Kraig and Kathy Kemper,
after 9am, who had the bird earlier, at the location along Hussey Rd., so
we continued to watch each gull that came in, as well as the present gulls
roosting in the onion field, including a single winter adult THAYER'S GULL,
and the second-winter GLAUCOUS GULL, that remained during "our" morning
stay. Mike Denny, and an Idaho birder, showed up after 10am, when the LBBG
made an apppearance until 11:15am, allowing greater views than the previous
day, as it fed once on hand-outs, the remained further out in the onion
field, with other gulls, as it roosted, and preened, then flew south and
out of sight! An excellent photo of the particular subspecies of this
individual occurs in the ABA Birding issue Vol.XXVII, #5(October 1995 on
pg.376(bottom photo).

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net