Yes, the gulls have been lovely, especially on the North Beach of Discovery. I will have to say that my favorite birds though this time of year are the Brant. So gregarious and happy foraging at water's edge. Feasting for their journey North. Wish I could go watch them every day while they are here. Does anyone know where to report Brant bird bands? I only have the colors and which legs they were on. Please let me know.Happy Spring,Mary Willard GallagherSeattle, on the shore of Salmon Baymarymwillard at hotmail.com
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:23:49 -0700
From: rnbuffle at yahoo.com
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Large movement of Bonaparte's Gulls on Puget Sound
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu; loes at uw.edu
CC:

I'll join in! Last weekend while searching in vain for the Little Gull at Point-No-Point, I saw nearly 1000 Boneys along the rip north of Vic Nelson's place.

Rolan Nelson
Fircrest, WA
rnbuffle at yahoo.com

--- On Tue, 4/19/11, Patricia Loesche <loes at uw.edu> wrote:


From: Patricia Loesche <loes at uw.edu>
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Large movement of Bonaparte's Gulls on Puget Sound
To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 8:13 PM



Cool. On Friday 4/15, between the Discovery Park lighthouse and Shilshole marina, I observed a mixed flock of about 75 Bonaparte's and Mew gulls, in about equal numbers and mostly onshore. Also three flocks of Brant flying low over the water near the lighthouse and about 20 puddling near shore, 80-100 total -- far more than I saw during several visits there in the previous two weeks.


Patti Loesche
Seattle


On Apr 19, 2011, at 9:34 AM, Gary Smith wrote:



Big pulse of Bonaparte?s Gulls moving up the Sound right now.

Last night around 7 pm I observed about 1,000 Bonaparte?s stretching a mile or more along a rip current from the Alki Point Lighthouse north and northeast into Elliott Bay ? about half in the air, mostly moving in from the south, and about half down on the water. Of the latter, many were sort of hovering and pouncing on the surface, others sitting but also dabbling. A few Mew Gulls were associating with the activity as well.

This morning around 7:15 there were at least 150 Bonaparte?s on the water, also in a north mixed in with Brant, Mew Gulls, and Glaucous-winged gulls. To the extent there was aerial activity this morning, they seemed to be picking up and flying back south of the Lighthouse.

Good spring birding to you all.


Gary T. Smith
Alki Point
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