I had a total R hip replacement surgery just over a month ago, and though I’m recovering really nicely, I’ve not been able to get out on anything close to normal birding trips. Friday, Brad Waggoner, my guest on The Bird Banter Podcast #34 located a Little Giull at Point-no-Point (PNP). Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus is a bird that is only rarely seen in North America, and has not been seen in WA very often. When I heard about this sighting it was already past midday, and I thought too late to try to chase on Friday. I called Ken Brown, my guest on The Bird Banter Podcast #2 and my great birding buddy, and he was at PNP looking when I called, but had not found the LIGU. We made plans to meet at his house at 6 AM the next AM and go together to try again. Moments later Ken called back to tell me he just got the bird, really close to shore, but he was up to go again with me the next AM.
We met at his house Sat AM, and headed for the point. Enroute we made a short stop to try for a Barn Owl, and insteaed heard Great Horned Owl and Barred Owl, but not the FOY Barn Owl Ken wanted. Still a nice start.
We got to PNP by 7:20 and started looking for the Little Gull. The day prior there was a big flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls at the location. Little Gulls are typically found associating with BOGUs, and for the first 3 hours we had no luck with the gull. We were the first birders there, but over the AM another 20 or so hopeful birders showed up. Finally, about 10:20 after Brad arrived, and the tidal action picked up, a nice flock of BOGUs streamed in. A shout out by Grace Oliver that she was on the gull as it flew in and settled on the water got us all excited. Another birder declared that he was on a gull on the water with white wing tips. This was a really helpful tip. If you look at photos or drawings of Little Gull, you’ll see that in winter plumage the adult has nearly the same grahish cheek sopt as BOGU, but also has some black on the top of the head. In addition the adult LIGU lacks the black wing tips of BOGU. It is not what jumps out of the field guide, but in a flock of birds on the water to me was much easier to spot thatn a little black on the head. I scanned for a gull with no black wing tips, and quickly found a candidate. It also had the black on the top of the head, seemed maybe smaller than the BOGUs, and so I stuck with it. I passed off the scope to Paul Baerny and he saw it, and on getting the scope back the bird had drifted but I got back on it. Then, after a couple of minutes the gull lifted its wings to take flight, and several of us shouted out that the jet black underwings were seen. I followed the gull for a couple of minutes as it flew among the flock of BOGUs, and got great looks.
My only prior LIGUs were in July in Maine when 3 birds were apparently either failed breeders or early returning gulls at the mouth of a coastal river. Those were in breeding pliumage, and cool too, but this was a WA first for me, and WA bird #395 for me. 5 more to 400.
Such a great day to break out of my post-surgery limitations. After leaving the point, Ken and I also found a huge gathering of loons, with about 35 Common Loons, and 355 Pacific Loons at Suquamish.
A great day. Good birding. Good day!