Greetings All

I gathered up three young Turks in Tacoma (Charlie Wright, Cameron Cox, and
Ryan Shaw) and we proceeded into the murky fog of Nisqually (so much for
Cackling Goose photography). We did see tremendous numbers of passerines. I forget
the name of the road, and am too lazy to look it up, but the exit north of
Nisqually---

We drove slowly along that road and stopped to pish wherever there seemed
there might be birds. Highlights were
2 Pine Grosbeak
4 WT Sparrow
2+ SC Junco
4 or so cismontanus or "Cassiar's" Juncos-- the hybrid types from BC.
2 non-oreganus Spotted Towhees (in other words, Spotted Towhees with spots,
likely curtatus, the race that breeds in e. WA).

On the Thurston side of the river, we found a group of about 20 Evening
Grosbeaks

At the Cedar River Mouth we refound Cameron's SLATY BACKED GULL (thought it
might be a different bird, but comparing photos leaves little doubt it is the
same bird seen earlier in the week).

There was a first year bird that looked very much like an ICELAND GULL, but
had a couple features that suggested that it was an odd Thayer's Gull or a
"hybrid."

And then IT IS BAAACCCCKKKK. The ad white-winged gull that spent much of its
time in Kent last year appeared at the Cedar River Mouth. I won't go through
all of the details, but at times it looked very much like an ICGU, and then, it
didn't.

Finally, we had a nice second year GLAUCOUS GULL and a hybrid GLAUCOUSxGW
GULL. And all sorts of other confusing gull critters among the 5000 or so birds
that came and went.

Happy New Year
Steven Mlodinow
Everett WA