Today I relocated the Tufted Duck that Steve Mlodinow and Jessie Barry
recently found in the Kent Valley. The bird was about 5 miles nw of where
they found it at Smith Brothers on 8 January. Today it was in the
excessively flooded fields between 204th Street and 212th Street, as seen
with a scope from 204th Street just below the cemetery. It was diving
constantly with a flock of Ring-necked Ducks and a single Redhead. By all
indications the bird is pure, in spite of its somewhat pathetic tuft. The
spot is loaded with dabblers at this time including perhaps 1000
Green-winged Teal and many more pintail.

Later in the day I located an adult gull with white wings in a dirt/grass
field nw of the intersection of 212th Street and 59th Place. This gull flock
also frequents the fields in which the Tufted Duck is now located. This
particular gull has an extremely cute facial complexion, almost like a Mew
Gull, relatively long wings, a dinky and truncate-looking greenish bill,
light brown-yellow irides, and a stunningly pale mantle. The outer primaries
could have some faint gray wash, but if so it is less than 1% saturation,
and I could not make it out in the given conditions. The head is not
streaked, but lightly washed with a subtle brown-gray. It appears to fit
well for a pale extreme Iceland Gull. Kumlieni or glaucoides? Search me.

Also during the day: 2 Trumpeter, a Tundra Swan, and a Redhead at
Smith Brothers; 3 Tundra Swans, 2 Redheads, and 7 Canvasbacks at the south
end of Frager Road; and a Short-eared Owl at Kent Ponds. There were also 3
leucistic (dilute-plumaged) Canada Geese in a dirt field near Boeing Ponds.
The main portion of the valley's wintering Cackling Goose flock was not
located today, but on 1/1/06 I had 800 in the area as well as 2 Greater
White-fronted Geese.

Charlie Wright
Bonney Lake, Washington