Blown in with the wind

  

Conditions were just right for bringing Bonaparte's Gulls (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) into Bodega Harbor this week — several consecutive days of steady gale force northwest winds.  

Leaving work tonight (2 May 2024), there were over 50 Bonaparte's Gulls along the west side of the harbor — some resting on the tidal flats, and several groups diving on fish in shallow water:

 

 

 

I'm not sure about the identity of the fish, but a few were visible in the bills of several gulls:

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know if they'll stick around, but if you're in the Bodega Harbor area, watch for these handsome black-headed gulls.