Dear Tweeters (and Skagit and Whatcom Birders),

Today (Wednesday, 12-21-2011) I made the trek to Palmer Lake, Okanogan County, to see the Ross's Gull. Although one would have to live like Gandhi for several decades to offset the Godzilla-sized carbon footprint required to see this bird, the trip is well worth it--I think.

Having left the Cockreham Island area of Skagit County at 0235, travelling via Highway 2, then 97, I arrived at Palmer Lake at 0916.

After reading Dick Cannings' excellent blog about his trip to see the gull, I now realize why there were no telltale tripod tracks or footprints at the fishing access at the south end of the lake--it had snowed overnight.

Scanning there proved fruitless, so I drove up to the public access at the north end of the lake. Scoping the lake, I noticed an immature Bald Eagle, which interacted briefly with a tiny white gull with a wedge-shaped tail. Huzzah!

After observing the gull for five minutes, from 0950 to 0955, I lost sight of it. It had been flying about and swimming buoyantly on the cliffy west shore of the lake, opposite the lakeside campground. Thirty to forty minutes of subsequent searching did not suffice to relocate the bird, so I went back to the south end, where I eventually found a platoon of birders and photographers enjoying very close looks at the bird at the now-famous deer carcass.

Logistic note follows: it took me less time to return home via British Columbia than it had to drive over via Highway 2. I crossed the border at Nighthawk and took BC Highway 3 over the mountains. At Highway Three's Skagit River bridges I stopped, wishing I could just float back home--but no, I had to drive to Abbotsford and cross over to Sumas.

Whatcom and Skagit birders, then, might consider taking this route, assuming they have a passport.

Oh, and bah humbugg--a certain holiday is going to wreak havoc with birders' ability to see this bird! My advice is, just tell the folks at home that you'd looked at the wrong calendar page and thought it was August!

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch



Gary Bletsch?Near Lyman, Washington (Skagit County), USA?garybletsch at yahoo.com?"Nun," sagte ich, "wenn ich ein Taugenichts bin, so ist's gut, so will ich in die Welt gehen, und mein Glueck machen." Und eigentlich war mir das recht lieb, denn es war mir kurz vorher selber eingefallen, auf Reisen zu gehen, da ich die Goldammer, welche im Herbst und Winter immer betruebt an unserm Fenster sang: "Bauer, miet' mich, Bauer, miet' mich!" nun in der schoenen Fruehlingszeit wieder ganz stolz und lustig vom Baume rufen hoerte: "Bauer, behalt' deinen Dienst!"