[ 2.84 ] BIRDSOFOREGON 



Short-billed, and California Gulls. It seems to be confined more to the 

 seacoast than the Glaucous-winged and is one of the abundant species in 

 the great wintering flocks there. It can be distinguished from other gulls 

 in adult plumage by its large size, dark slaty-blue back, and black-tipped 

 wings, the ends of which are decorated with small white oval mirrors. 



So far as we know, there are no valid records for this species east of 

 the Cascade Mountains. Bendire's notes (Brewer 1875 and Bendire 1877), 

 made at Old Fort Harney, contain references to the Western Gull; but he 

 collected no specimens, and he himself questioned whether or not the 

 birds were of this species. Since there are no specimen records for the 

 Western Gull in that territory and the California Gull is exceedingly 

 abundant there, we believe that Bendire's records cannot be accepted. 

 The status of the Western Gull then, as we know it at present, is that of 

 an abundant coastal resident that straggles inland up the streams to a 

 less extent than do some of the other coast-loving species. 



During the summer it is the all-abundant resident gull on the coast, 

 where its beautiful white plumage and dark slaty-gray mantle form an 

 attractive feature of the beaches and rocky points. It nests on nearly 

 every suitable rock from Curry to Clatsop County. The largest and best- 

 known colony is the one on Three Arch Rocks Reservation. Other 

 colonies known to us are on Otter Rock, the rocks at the mouth of 

 Pistol River, and the rocks off Bandon. In addition, there are many 

 smaller colonies in suitable spots. The nests are rather bulky affairs of 

 seaweeds, grasses, and other material, usually built in a somewhat slight 

 depression in the rocks (Plate 45, 5). There these gulls lay their two or 

 three eggs and raise their fuzzy, buffy youngsters. The nests are usually 

 fairly well constructed for gulls' nests, but become filthy before the 

 nesting season is over. When the young are able to fly, they too forage 

 up and down the beach and in their first plumage are the darkest-colored 

 gulls in Oregon (Plate 45, A). 



A great deal of propaganda is directed against gulls by certain sports- 

 men who feel that these birds destroy immense numbers of game birds 

 and fish. So far as the Western Gull is concerned, there is no ground for 

 such an indictment, as it does not enter any territory where game birds 

 live and such fish as it gets are small surface-feeding ones of little use to 

 man. It is essentially a scavenger of the beaches, quickly pouncing upon 

 and eating any dead fish or other marine life that may be washed ashore 

 and working up the streams to feast on the spawned-out salmon. One of 

 the most interesting and intelligent performances of this bird is its habit 

 of taking small clams high in the air and dropping them onto a rocky 

 beach or other hard surface to break them open. It drops a clam, then 

 quickly follows it down, reaching the ground almost as soon as the 

 missile. We have watched this performance many times while waiting 

 for the ferry on the South Ferry Slip at Newport, where from one or two 



