Muy birding buddy and I visited the coast last week, and at the very end of the day Ken wandered a bit to the side of a parking lot and presto, a very unusual gull for Washington State was loafing on the beach. Franklin's Gull is a common migrant throughout much of the central parts of the United States, but in western Washington it is seen only a few times a year.
This is an immature Fraklin's Gull, but the half crescents on the eye, and partial hood along with a dark back make it pretty easy to identify.
There were plenty of other gulls at the same stop, mostly California Gulls which move north to our area after breeding in huge numbers each summer.
For us this was a great way to finish our day at the coast.
Good birding!
