CHARLIE WRIGHT GULL WORKSHOP REPORT, Nov 24, 2014.

We had such an enthusiastic response to hearing Charlie talk about gulls that Peter Wimberger of UPS had to find us a bigger room to hold it in!

I think everybody took notes! Of the 24 species ever seen in Washington, Charlie covered the 8 main species (Mew, Thayer’s, Ring-Billed, California, Herring, Glaucous-Winged, Herring, and Glaucous), as well as two hybrids (the common Glaucous-Winged/Western and the more-common-than-realized Glaucous-Winged/Herring, plus the bonus gull, Slaty-Backed, now being seen at Gog-Le-Hi-Te in the Tacoma tideflats!

You have to love a presenter who tells you to identify your gulls by facial expressions! Glaucous-Winged: Horse face! Thayer’s: Bambi-like, gentle! Charlie says to learn gull faces like your friends’ faces.

Charlie finished up by moving the group to the Slater Museum. Museum honchos Peter Wimberger and Gary Shugart had put out a plethora of gull specimens for our study, which provoked more one-on-one questions, which Charlie and Peter fielded admirably.

Field trips are still coming up for those of you lucky enough to get into one. If so, you’ll be getting reminders soon. If not, you can get on the waiting lists by contacting Diane Y-Q at Avosetta@hotmail.com.

Click on photo below to enlarge.

CHARLIE WRIGHT GULL EVENT – NOV 2014

The response has been overwhelming for this event. We will be getting our difficult questions about Gull ID answered by our own rising bird star, Charlie Wright. He is the regional reviewer for eBird in Washington and a member of the Washington Bird Records Committee. He says, “I have been doing research on bird occurrence and migration on Middleton Island in the Gulf of Alaska for the last 4 fall seasons, and I work out of the University of Washington for the COASST program the rest of the year. COASST is a citizen science project monitoring beached birds from northern CA up to Alaska.”

PART ONE: WORKSHOP: Monday, November 24th, at 6:45 to 8:45 at UPS, Thompson Hall, room to be announced. $15. RSVP to Diane Y-Q at Avosetta@hotmail.com to get on the list. The actual room number will be sent out to those who have registered. This will take the place of our regular ABC meeting.

PART TWO: FIELD TRIP: Two field trip dates have been announced in conjunction with the workshop. You may attend the workshop or a field trip or both. Field trip fee is $15 (or if you do both a field trip and the workshop, $25).

Field trip dates are 11/30 and 12/13. The 11/30 field trip is FULL, though you can be wait-listed for it. There are just 5 spots left on the 12/13 field trip. RSVP immediately to assure a spot. RSVP to Diane at Avosetta@hotmail.com.

For those already signed up, a reminder will be sent out soon to you.