[obol] Bonaparte's/Forsters @ Fern Ridge

[Russ Namitz]

Dear "high-octane" Big Day people~

Congratulations on your record-breaking Big Day!

I'd be curious to know if you or anyone else over the weekend saw 
non-breeding plumaged BONAPARTE'S GULLS at Fern Ridge.

I made a quick ID based on inadequate & inconsisent field marks and possibly 
made a mistake.

Around 10:30am yesterday at Fern Ridge, I saw the backend of two tern/small 
gull-like birds flying away from me on the observation platform.  I could 
have sworn that the one that I was concentrating on had a square white tail 
with a black subterminal band.  The thing that bothered me was that I didn't 
see the white primary flashes and I should have seen them.  I did see a weak 
carpal bar that paralleled the leading edge of the wing.  My educated guess 
was BOGU by the tail.

In the big scheme of things, it doesn't matter.  Can anyone assauge my 
mental anxiety with a sighting of Bonaparte's Gull at Fern Ridge?

Sincerely,
Russ Namitz
Coos Bay