More Gulls (sigh)

[okaugust]

Good news, a Glaucous Gull was spotted today west of Tillamook. Bad news, it's a first year/cycle, so it looks like every other gull.

I don't think I saw it. But I was looking for things that don't look like other things, focusing on lighter primaries and so on. Of course end up with what are probably all Glaucous-winged or Western, or of course the most likely Olympic (Herring x Glaucous-winged). How can different birds all look the same, but the same species all look so different.

So here goes...all photos from today 12/31/2022

1. Seaside Cove, OR

2. Nehalem Meadows, which is an pasture area just south of Nehalem, OR that currently has a lot of seasonal ephemeral water.

The remaining are from where the Glaucous was report, Fraser Rd x Old Fraser Rd, just west of Tillamook and east of Netarts, OR

3.

 

4. Initially looking at the bird in the foreground, but the pinkish bill on the second from the rear was intriguing.

5.

6. Bird on the left

 

I know, this is my rock star life. Trying to ID gulls on New Year's Eve. High point though, two Peregrine Falcon's today, the last bird I saw in 2022. So I got that going for me.

[IKLland]

#2 is definitely a California Gull, the rest look fine for Olympic to me(Glacous-winged x Western). I could be wrong on a few of them though. 

[okaugust]

Thank you! The dark eyes on that one gave me pause for sure.