Hey Tweeters,

This afternoon Cameron Cox and I saw the adult Slaty-backed Gull at Gene Coulon Park from 4:50 until 5:25. The gulls were concentrated at the very north end of the park today. The bird was on the water just past the log booms and on the log boom at times. Even as the sun sets below the ridge, the dark mantle clearly stands out from the darkest occidentalis Western Gulls present.

We were able to get several decent pictures before sunset. Guy McWeathy and Brian Mayor were able to see the bird as well. I'd recommend persistently scanning the gulls as they trickle in from ~4:30 until sunset.

And to answer Kathy's question...gulls gather to roost much like the fashion of crows. If the body of water where they typically roost is too rough they will often turn to the roofs of large buildings. The Boeing buildings by the mouth of the Cedar River used to be a huge gull roosting site.

Cheers,
Jessie Barry
Seattle, WA