BirdingGirl

I’m always inclined to click on a bird-related story when reading the news online. Sometimes they’re related to conservation issues, but most often they’re concerning seasonal or rare sightings. This is usually the case on the Cape Cod Times Website, and I’m thrilled that Cape Cod birding has gained enough prominence in the paper to warrant a dedicated columnist, Vernon Laux , and home page features. Birding stories on the Boston Globe’s home page; however, are not as common. This is why today’s blurb on the Slaty-backed Gull caught my eye—this had to be a truly rare sighting to win such prominent placement. I was completely unaware of this species, being the novice that I am; however, I still wanted to share in the excitement of a rare sighting and learn more about the details. According to the Globe, he spotted the bird at Jodrey Fish Pier in Gloucester right before Christmas and later that day there was another sighting at Coast Guard Beach in Eastham. These, combined with another s...