103. Western Gull

Cam's Shot: Taken at Farmington Bay WMA on January 23, 2021

 Sometimes the photos don't tell the whole story!  I'll share a shot I was able to take through my spotting scope which isn't much better, but it shows the details more clearly.  This bird is a really good bird in Utah.  The first record of this species inland was from December 2006 when Colby Neuman and I found and 3W bird in Salt Lake County.  Subsequently, I found birds every year up through January 2017, when the last Western Gull reported in Utah was seen.  This bird represents the first report since January 24, 2017! 

Right when I spotted this bird Cam was ready to head home and I told him I needed to put the scope on a bird that would be new for his year.  He was okay to wait a few more minutes at that point and when I confirmed the ID of this distant bird (300 yards), I helped him get the bird in the viewfinder for a "recorded" shot.

Tim's Shot: Taken at Farmington Bay WMA on January 23, 2021