Greetings All

Yes, it has been a LONG time since BHGU has been seen in WA.
There are a couple possible explanations.

Bill Tweit had previously theorized (a number of years ago) that a fair percentage of our records of Black-headed Gull from early to mid 1990s were of a returning adult. If that were true, and that bird passed on (so to speak), then sightings would decline precipitously.

Additionally, the huge congregations of Bonys at the Everett STP no longer gather there; I don't know if there are fewer Bonys in the Puget Trough as a whole, or if they are now more dispersed. Either way, the loss of that Bony flock (so large and easy to sort through) would make the finding of a BHGU much more difficult.

Interestingly, there has been a decline in Little Gull reports at the same time. The loss of the Everett STP as a place to find these birds has definitely contributed to the decrease in sightings, but the decline seems more widespread, both in WA and across the west. Reasons for this are unclear.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow
Everett WA
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