Hello All,
I went down to see the Lapland Longspur at Browns Point this morning. The longspur was sitting pretty under a picnic table. A dog ran right by it and the bird only moved a few inches, so it is indeed quite tame!

I drove down Marine View Drive to the pullouts that overview the logbooms south of Tyee Marina. From the northernmost pullout, with the hummingbird feeders, I found an adult BLACK-TAILED GULL circling with California and Mew Gulls out in the channel, over a half mile offshore. The bird circled and hovered while a rain squall came in, limiting visibility and causing me to lose the bird. I then checked Gog-Le-Hi-Ti Wetlands, viewing lots of Thayer's Gulls. The weather seemed to be clearing so I went back to Marine View. No sign of the bird until 12:30 or so, when I spotted the bird on the logbooms, much closer than before! It stuck around at least until I left at 1:45pm. The bird is significantly darker than the California Gulls, but in some lighting conditions this was not very apparent. The smudgy, gray double-collar on the nape contrasting with the white forehead is the best thing to look for when it's sleeping.

Here is a map showing the pullout. You can right-click on the marker and get directions from your location. http://tinyurl.com/blacktailedgull

Cheers,
Charlie Wright
Bonney Lake, Washington