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<DIV>I’ve been in a rough patch lately, and my partner agreed that chasing the
BLKI might be just what I needed. it was.</DIV>
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<DIV>I fully expected there would be be a group of birders already finding or
not finding it. </DIV>
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<DIV>I hadn’t really slept, and just blindly followed the Google maps
audio.</DIV>
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<DIV>There was one guy with a scope, a beard, and a smile and I asked him if
he’d seen it. “Not yet” He was there yesterday when there were lots
of birds and birders, but he hadn’t seen it. The wind this morning was
howling and making us tear up.. “Are you a gull expert?”, I asked. “
No.” Well neither am I.</DIV>
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<DIV>“Are these all Glaucous-winged or hybrids?”, said he I don’t think
so, said I. Californias would be the best bet, just on size.
“So we’re looking for a BOGU with a yellow bill”, said he. There were very
few gulls at all. Then he saw it by the lighthouse. “Yellow bill!”,
said he. I’m not on it, said I. “Well at least I saw it for 15
seconds”, said he. Well I guess I’ll be here a while or just go home, said
I.</DIV>
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<DIV>“Maybe we could get some cover up there by the shed, from the wind”, said
he. And we did, basically scope to scope. For an hour and half plus
we traded stories and helped each other ID whatever we could find. Turns
out we’ve been a number of the same spots, though I have 50 years more having at
least tried to do it. He seemed to know all the local birder names of
recognition . I told him I was trying to be away from a problem back home
with a roofing contractor. He told me he was trying to be distracted from
his daughter’s breast cancer treatment, and was staying quite near me. Kind of
put my concerns in perspective.</DIV>
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<DIV>“Well I’m about ready to call it”, said he. “Yellow bill Yellow
bill!” ,said I. And there it was, for a much longer look and maybe
50 yards out. We high-fived so hard it stung. Lifer for both of
us.</DIV>
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<DIV>“There is always someone worse off than you. Keep on birding”.
Said he.</DIV>
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<DIV>True that.</DIV>
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<DIV>Marty, if you see this, Would love to meet up</DIV>
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<DIV>Mark Tomboulian, Shoreline, WA</DIV>
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<DIV><A href="mailto:tomboulian@comcast.net">tomboulian@comcast.net</A></DIV>
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