Hello All,

This afternoon I went up to Blaine after receiving a call from Nick Page who alerted me to the presence of a 1st winter FRANKLIN'S GULL, and a juvenile PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER. I was rewarded with good looks of both of birds. The PAGP had a very bright golden wash and along with good looks at its relatively short primary extensions there was no doubt about what species it was. We didn't relocate the Franklin's Gull until 8 o'clock, so the light was fading quickly, but we had close looks at this distinctive and oddly attractive bird (maybe it's the bold eye ring).

Okay, our other highlight was an "albino" (or whatever you call it) gull. All of its feathers were pure white, its bill was yellow with a red dot, and its legs were pink/pale. I have to assume it was a Glaucous-winged, but it was probably the coolest Glaucous-winged Gull I've ever seen.

Here are some documentation photos I digiscoped of our highlights:

www.houstonflores.com/images/frgu.jpg
www.houstonflores.com/images/pagp.jpg
www.houstonflores.com/images/albino_gull.jpg

Other birds of note:
American Wigeon
Northern Pintail (~75), saw a large, high-altitude flock flying south
Green-winged Teal
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Semipalmated Plover (2)
Black-bellied Plover (100's)
Marbled Godwit (3)
COMMON TERN (25) actively foraging

Good Migrations,

Houston Flores
Bellingham, WA
houstonflores AT hotmail.com
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