Subject: Fw: Gulls at Wallula
Date: Feb 17 19:24:56 2004
From: Matthew Moskwik - mpmoskwik at hotmail.com



----- Original Message -----
From: Matthew Moskwik
To: inland-nw-birders at uidaho.edu
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2004 8:39 PM
Subject: Gulls at Wallula


Inlanders,

Monday I birded southeast Washington. I started the day by driving south on 261 to Walla Walla. Along the way I encountered several Northern Shrikes (including an immature) and several Rough-legged Hawks. Upon reaching Walla Walla, I checked Bennington Lake, but no owls were present. Then I birded Hussey Road and only turned up Ring-billed Gulls, California Gulls, and Herring Gulls. Then I continued to Wallula, where I birded the infamous "poop" piles along highway 12 (just north of Wallula). This is where the birding got interesting as the following gulls were seen:

Ring-billed Gulls

Herring Gulls

Glaucous-winged Gull (one adult)

Glaucous Gulls - (one adult and one first-year bird)

Lesser Black-backed Gull - I guess it stayed around the delta, since the dump was closed today.

1 adult Iceland Gull - I'm not a gull expert, however this bird had a couple of field marks that made me suspect that it could be an Iceland Gull. The primaries were the same color as the mantle (all the Thayer's I have seen have had darker primaries). The eye was yellow, although I know this isn't a diagnostic mark. Also, the bird's mantle was about the same color as the Herring Gull's mantles. Because of my inexperience with this species, I think someone should keep an eye out to see if one surfaces somewhere in the area.

Matthew Moskwik
mpmoskwik at hotmail.com
Cheney, WA
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