Subject: ok, i'm confused
Date: Jul 23 19:40:18 2004
From: carenp - carenp at totalise.co.uk


which, when it comes right down to it, is a normal experience for me...

i was out at jetty island (everett) this morning, and managed to find myself
a whole (watch out for the technical term) herd of what looks like
winter-plumage bonaparte's gulls, as described in stokes... as i've seen
numerous winter plumage spotted sandpipers lately (and i'm guessing they
were just juveniles), i ask two questions:

..1. do bonaparte's gulls live in or wander through the area, and
..2. if so, is the winter plumage thing in the midst of our summer a
juvenile thing? because if it is, there are dozens of bonaparte's juveniles
on the west end of the island right now, just above the lagoon...

at first, i was thinking they could be black-legged kittiwakes (i look at
pictures first), but (1) stokes describes their beaks and their neck collar
entirely differently, and (read further), (2) the habitat is entirely wrong,
too. but hey, i'm learning... :)

i didn't see a single adult (as described by stokes), though they could have
been further out... and, while the normal summer habitat in everett harbour
is not coniferous forest, i'm wondering if i spotted some migration kids out
for their first real spin around-the-block...

most of the other birds were easier to figure out: spotted and least
sandpipers, osprey (about six uniquely seen), one adult and one juvenile
bald eagle, numerous glaucous-winged gulls, more than a few "other" gulls
doing the gull thing off in the lagoon, perhaps a dozen great blue herons,
and at least three double-crested cormorants, all on wing headed towards the
beached, dead boats in the harbour where the osprey live...

thanx!

00 caren
http://www.parkgallery.org
found at jetty island today, everett, WA