I picked a darn good day to start my Walla Walla county list today. Many thanks to Mike and MerryLynn Denny who showed me the Black-tailed Gull they found! I left the delta and the gull at 2:00pm today. It seemed very comfortable as it never left the log it was sitting on while I watched it for a hour.

The Dennys found it this morning around 9:00am. The Walla Walla River Delta area is located just north of the junction between Highway 12 and Highway 730. The dirt road that takes you to the small dirt parking area is directly opposite the entrance to Madame Dorian Park (dirt road is on your right if you are coming from the north on Hwy 12). Be careful here as the speed limit is fast and I very nearly got rear-ended while turning into Madame Dorian Park.

The bird stuck out due to its very dark mantle, dark wing tips, yellow legs, and bill that ended with a red/black spot. I never got in-flight look at the tail, but the Dennys did.

I will let the Dennys post the rest of the details. What a day!

Tim O'Brien
Cheney, WA
mailto: kertim7179 at yahoo dot com