Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus)

An adult Slaty-backed Gull (lifer #442), at right, seen from the 11th St. Bridge over the Puyallup River in Tacoma, Washington. After seeing the Snowy Owls in Ocean Shores that morning, we drove to Tacoma to look for this overwintering rarity at mid-day. Following that success, we crossed the Cascades to search East Wenatchee for some reported Bohemian Waxwings in the evening, but with no such luck. We began our return to northern California that night.