Tweeters,

Leora and I went looking for Slaty-backed this late AM (Friday) and
believe we found the described bird. Here's a few pointers.

At the end of 48th Ave is a little parking area marked "recreation
only" for those who wish to use the trail beside the Duwamish/Green
River. There are 5-6 spaces and that should take care of your parking.

The low pitch metal roof has two sides and there are probably gulls on
both sides.

You can walk the river trail to go around the fenced area and have a
look at the building's north side. This is where we saw a different
gull.
It seemed to be the largest gull on the roof and the one with the
darkest mantle. Didn't bring the scope and the lighting was not the
best so we couldn't make a positive ID. Heck if we had the bird in the
hand we probably couldn't make a positive ID.

We suggested a three Emperor Goose Astoria adventure last week end.

How about if this week end a Tweeter or two gets some good photos of
this gull that we can all examine to try to determine if this is a
Slaty-backed or a more common Western.

Larry Schwitters
Issaquah


> ?
>
> This afternoon I allowed the beautiful weather and my desire to go see
> some birds pull me outside despite my better judgment screaming it?s
> head off the about the 36 other things that I should have been
> doing.?My judgment piped down quickly when an adult Slaty-backed Gull
> landed in the middle of my field of view while I was watching gulls at
> the Tukwila Thayer?s Gull spot right off I-5.?Talk about dumb luck.?As
> far as I can tell this is a different individual than the Renton bird
> from a couple of weeks ago.?This bird appears to have a larger bill
> with more gonydeal expansion, seems a little larger compared to
> Glaucous-winged Gulls, the darkened area around the eye is less
> noticeable, and the nape has darker streaking.?Fun bird, got a few
> passable photos.
>
> ?
>
> This site is going to be a little more difficult for groups of birders
> to gather than the Renton site.?Please use caution and judgment when
> looking for this bird.?From I-5 take exit 156, Tukwila/ Interurban, go
> west and take your first right onto 48th Ave.?The bird was on the roof
> of the shipping company about 1/3 of a mile down.?Parking is an
> issue.?I wouldn?t make any suggestion other than don?t do anything
> illegal that could make ?No Trespassing? signs sprout like tulips in
> the Skagit!?I had a security guard on me in less than two minutes, but
> I was extremely polite and showed him the gull and warned him that
> other birders might be coming to see it.?He seemed interested and
> friendly, so, again, use massive amounts of good judgment when looking
> for the bird and we will be allowed to keep birding there.
>
> ?
>
> Good numbers of gulls at Renton this evening, but nothing unusual.?I
> wouldn?t discount seeing this bird in Renton in the evening.?Tukwila
> is quite close to Renton as the gull flies.?However, I don?t believe
> that the majority of the Tukwila birds roost in Renton.?I never find
> the numbers of Thayer?s Gull that are usually found at Tukwila
> arriving at Gene Coulon in the evening.?Also, I have been at Tukwila
> in the evening and seen the majority of the birds heading west down
> the small river that runs next to the industrial complex.?Fortunately,
> finding this Slaty-backed should be less time sensitive than looking
> for the prior bird just before sunset.?The afternoon often seems to be
> best at Tukwila.?Good Luck!?I will work on putting some variety into
> the good birds I find!
>
> ?
>
> Cameron Cox
>
> Seattle, WA ??????????
>
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>
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