Hello all,
I made a trip up to Jetty Island off the Everett waterfront today.
I've been reading through the Tweeters archives and after hearing that
Arctic Terns used to breed there I thought it might be worth exploring
to see might be there this summer. No Arctic Terns, sadly, but a few
interesting species and a nice place to explore on a July day. I had a
chance to work on my gull and shorebird identification, but ended up
with a few questionable ones.

The first is a gull I can't ID. It appears to be an adult California
Gull with the bill and legs of a younger California Gull (pink legs,
pink bill). Possibly a hybrid?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beastofexmoor/7619779426/in/photostream

The second is a group of birds that were working the beach, close to
the grassline. They were noticable larger than the nearby Western
Sandpipers (I'd say Sibley would measure them at 9"). They ring a
bell, but after flipping through my guides for a while I can't come up
with anything that matches.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beastofexmoor/7619780022/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beastofexmoor/7619780476/in/photostream/

Interesting finds of the day:
1 Least Sandpiper
40 Western Sandpiper
5 Spotted Sandpiper (both adults and juveniles)
California, Glaucus Winged, and Ring-Billed Gulls
Several Osprey nests with young.
Many, many Caspian Terns.


Josh Adams
Lynnwood, WA
xjoshx at gmail.com