After getting home and checking a couple of field guides, including Sibley, I have concluded that the gull I spotted today was actually a breeding-plumage Heermann's. JT

--
Judy Rowe Taylor
Mukilteo, WA
judyrowetaylor at comcast.net


> Today I determined that there are in fact three Marbled Murrelets at the
> Mukilteo ferry dock. One of the two on the Silver Cloud Inn side may be a
> juvenile as it has some white on the neck and wing. I did get a bit of a scare
> though. The gulls suddenly started squawking and I looked up to see an adult
> Bald Eagle flying by, heading towards one of the MMs. But it was being harassed
> by three gulls who escorted said eagle right out of the area. The two MMs
> clustered together after that incident. These two stayed further out today,
> maybe because there were half-a dozen fisherpersons and quite a few other folks
> on the pier, including me :-) ; it was sunny when I arrived about 1:15, but
> storm clouds thickened and the wind picked up by the time I walked over to the
> south side of the pier to check out MM # 3, which was in close to shore. Maybe
> they are a family!
>
> I also saw the oddest gulllooked like a hybrid Heermann's. Are there any
> documented Heermann's Western gull hybrids?
>
> Thanks! JT
> --
> Judy Rowe Taylor
> Mukilteo, WA
> Art is a voice of the heart, a song of the soul.
> judyrowetaylor at comcast.net
> www.enduringibis.com
> _______________________________________________
> Tweeters mailing list
> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
> http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters