Temps in the low 50s, partly cloudy, some light mist first thing in the morning, Wind WNW 10-20 mph

Vicky, Jen, and I walked the Clam Lagoon marsh edge this morning.

When we arrived at the South Lookout, two Gyrfalcons were sitting out on the flats.

Our walk turned up the usual Sharp-tailed and Pectoral sandpipers, but unlike my walk the other day, several of these did not flush as soon as we saw them, allowing some nice photo ops.

Later, when I was sitting near the Thrush feeder eating lunch, the birds all scattered as another Gyrfalcon flew in and landed on a light-post.

I added Horned Grebe and Common Loon to the trip list.

A peregrine was in the water preparing to bathe when I happened upon it. It flew off rather than suffer the indignity of someone watching it take a bath…

And I found a dark-backed gull on the Clam Lagoon flats that I think is a Vega Gull. Earlier in the day, Aaron’s group had immature (first or scend cycle – I don’t remember which) Vega Gulls at Landing Lights and the Seawall. I did not see either of those, but I found an adult bird instead.

It was significantly darker than the Glaucous-winged Gulls it was with, but not as dark as Slaty-backed Gulls that I have seen out here. The photos do not do it justice to how much darker it was, but it was easily picked out with binos when scanning the flock.

I have been fooled before by lighting causing one gull to look darker than the others, but this gull was facing the same direction, in the same lighting conditions as the others.

Also, the primary tips were black, not gray.

However, with my poor record in gull identification, I may stand corrected…

The trip list is 50.

Today’s list can be viewed at https://ebird.org/checklist/S275671501

The Trip Report can be viewed at https://ebird.org/tripreport/413629?welcome=true