Hi Ruth and Tweets,

Black-headed Gull records for Washington seem to be a bit more numerous and
widespread than that, and older. According to the reports of the Washington
Bird Records Committee (WBRC), published in Washington Birds, the first
record was at Ocean Shores in 1972, the second at Dungeness in 1986, and the
third at Orcas Island in 1987. The record from Alki Point in 1994 was about
the eighth for the state. The WBRC had accepted 14 records through 1998,
although some may have been of the same bird returning in another year.

I'm sure this isn't the whole picture; for one thing, several years have
passed since publication of a new WBRC report. Steve Mlodinow in his brief
account in Birds of Washington (Wahl et al. 2005) says that Black-headed
Gulls "have been seen" 15 times in the state.

Hal Opperman
Medina, Washington
hal at catharus.net

On 12/21/06 6:57 PM, "Ruth and/or Patrick Sullivan" <godwit513 at msn.com>
wrote:

There are thirteen records sighted and confirmed in Washington,according by
"WASHINGTON BIRDERS ". First record listed from Alki Point,Seattle on 27
October 1994. A Black-headed Gull was sighted from Point No Point,on 8 -17
March 1998 what was the thirteen record.So this Gull now makes it the 14th
record in Washington. All birds was sighted in Puget Sound.