Heerman's Gull at Sweetwater Wetlands, 8 November 2010

I try to avoid text messaging in general, but when I received this one I jumped: Heerman's Gull at Sweetwater Wetlands!

I've somehow managed to miss this species in the five or so years I've lived permanently in Tucson.  It seems I'm always out-of-town or guiding a client when they show up.  Heerman's Gull is, after all, locally famous for being a one day wonder.  There are about 35 records for Arizona, and not a single bird has stayed for more than one day.  This species must have incredible wanderlust...

Anyway, it was a great pleasure to see familiar birding pals seeking this rarity, though I just missed bumping into fellow Adventure Birding guide Jake Mohlmann (he beat me by 30 minutes...)  Ah well, no complaints.  Though I'm not a rabid state lister and I rarely "chase" vagrant birds here, this observation served for a nice random 417th Arizona state bird for me.  You just never know what you're going to see next out here!

Good birding,
John Yerger
Tucson, AZ
john@adventurebirding.com
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Adventure Birding Company
Specializing in flexible, personalized guiding in SE Arizona
www.adventurebirding.com
520-495-0229

Normally I hate to call a Black Phoebe (or any species) a "trash bird" - but, um...yeah.