Subject: [Tweeters] Apparent Slaty-backed Gull @ Gene Coulon Park, Renton King Co. Sun 3 Jan
Date: Sun Jan 3 17:26:16 PST 2021
From: Matt Bartels - mattxyz at earthlink.net

Hi Tweets
While looking in vain for the Glaucous Gull this afternoon, we came across what appeared to be an adult Slaty-backed Gull instead.
Bobbie & Curtis Pearson were the first to notice the bird quite a ways north along the log booms off Gene Coulon Park in Renton.
The bird was quite a distance away, and the overcast skies lends some tentativeness to the id.

Overall the color was solid for Slaty-backed, dark, but slate-gray rather than the dark of a Western or near-Western Olympic. Legs pink. Nice smudging through the eye area. Bill seemed narrower/straighter than I'd expect on an Olympic-type.
The gulls eventually lifted off and we lost track of the bird. Would love to see the spread wing clearly to be sure.

A few of my crappy digiscope pix are available at the link below, but it would definitely be great for others to get better shots of this one if it can be relocated in the coming days. Haven't had a SBGU in King Co since 2013, I believe.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tZpArZ40nEj-IGy8iRr37iPjd97020qI?usp=sharing <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tZpArZ40nEj-IGy8iRr37iPjd97020qI?usp=sharing>
[opinions welcome, but better photos desired for sure]

Also around the area, Ed Newbold got us on a nice Eared Grebe hanging close to the Ivars walkway.

Good 2021 birding,

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA
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