It was pretty quiet bird-wise in my North Everett yard this gray morning, but looking out a kitchen window I spotted a male "Slate-colored Junco", a textbook example of the type and the first I've seen in my yard in 10 years here. I've seen some Juncos of dubious provenance here before but nothing so obviously non- "Oregon".

That's in real contrast to my sisters yard in SW New Mexico, where 4 or 5 varieties of Dark-eyed Junco's can be seen in the winter. Based on the many types found there I guess New Mexico is the Junco Center of the Universe.

About 5 feet to the south of the Junco, on the far side of our Mahonia hedge, an adult Glaucous-winged Gull was strolling around on the lawn of the neighborhood park next door to our place. About a third of a city block, the park is pretty much all closely cropped lawn. Especially in Winter, and early in the morning before human park users show up, Glaucous-winged Gulls (and hybrids) can be seen walking around the park. There is a polite side of Gulls revealed here - typically they walk around sedately about six feet apart like old people walking around with their hands behind their back looking for coins in the grass (bugs and worms really), acknowledging each other with brief nods. Their is something amusingly proper about all this: "top of the morning" I imagine them saying to each other. Other gull behavior of course lurks just beneath this relaxed park walking. This morning 5 more gulls showed up and, while still spread out 6 feet apart, they were 'speedwalking' and very much focused on each other. The tossing of a single used fast-food bag anywhere into the park would be the catalyst for a major food fight in that somewhat charged atmosphere I'm sure.

I witnessed more interesting gull behavior earlier in the year when, down at the Anchor Pub I threw a bag of big chunks of stale french bread out along the railroad tracks thinking of feeding the Crows and Pigeons. I immediately regretted that move, thinking that all I'd probably do is attract more rats. But I needn't have worried because in about a Mukilteo minute a flock of Glaucous-winged Gulls descended on the bread in an incredible display of gluttony. One alpha-gull overachiever in particular shoved so many big chunks of bread down its gullet in short order that it looked like it had swallowed a size 6 shoe.

A bit later I took the 3 minute drive down to Everett's 10th street boat launch to check out the gull flock. Despite the above story, I don't feed gulls intentionally, and if I did it would be with bait herring or something good for them rather than bread. However people do feed the gulls at the boat launch. As I drove up to check the flock for a Glaucous Gull or something else of interest, about 200 gulls rushed my truck before I could come to a stop. A real 'whoa!!' moment. No luck on a Glaucous, but did see a few Thayer's amongst the mostly Glaucous winged gulls and Ring-billed.

On the log raft that's been on the North side of the boat launch for months now I got some good high tide looks at Dunlin and Western Sandpipers. For wildlife photographers this log raft can be good for Spotted Fur Blimps, my name for hauled -out Harbor Seals which especially when pregnant truly achieve blimp-like dimensions. Today there were none on the logs but one on the dock just south of me. These are beautiful creatures with their big brown eyes and striking fur coats which display varying qualities as they dry out. They like watching people too , so be prepared to be seen.

Jeff Gibson
Everett Wa