Hello All,
Today at 1330hrs I discovered an adult four year gull with a very dark
mantle, large bill, dark eye with dark smudging around the eye. It also had
a streaked nape and side neck. This bird was with 400+ gulls off the
Peninsula Habitat Management unit of McNary NWR in western Walla Walla Co.
on the Columbia River. The bird was loafing on an exposed mud spit to the
north east of Foundation Island. It is large and very dark mantled. There is
a raised railroad bridge across the Columbia River just upstream from the
gull's loafing area. We took some distant photos through our scopes, but no
definitive shots. We were a quarter of a mile from this bird.We have seen
two Slaty-backed Gulls and this bird best fit that species. I hope others
can get time to look.
Later Mike

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Mike & MerryLynn Denny
1354 S. E. Central Ave.
College Place, WA 99324
509.529.0080 (h)

IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN BIRDING, YOU HAVEN'T LIVED!
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