Field Notes Doug Bell 15 June 1988 and then - also soaring around. Good mind today, birds. Brandts Cormorants are also nesting out on the west peninsula. They are further down than the Double-vented cormorants. A cow was inspecting the island. Small family group of House Finches came by. Counted about 150 gulls out on the western peninsula of Cape Arago Lighthouse. Also just noticed a ♂ GWC - dark iris, purplish eyering, P° tips darker than back, but nevertheless lighter than W's., sitting on nest at start of west peninsula, north side. Its nest is troaked in an earthen ledge, with root support about 1 yard below the cliff top. The cliff top is overgrown. The ♂ GWC has an deep yellow-orange bill, and its eyerings are somewhat defathered, giving it a "teary" appearance. This bird was incubating, but was soon relieved by a ♀ Western Gull - with rather dark irides, otherwise a perfect WG. They switched at the nest, then the male GWC brought back nest material in 2 strips, gave this to the ♀ WG. She rearranged nest a bit. This is the GWC that I have seen soaring near here? Watching it soar and gather more nest material than the sepe. It's P° tips are indeed very light - only a few shades darker than its' back. Next to the ♀ WG it's back looks very light, and its bill is duller in color, not as deep orange as that of its WG mate. Definitely dark irides. Fantastic! By the way, I put the piping eggs from the trapped into 2 other nests - one went in a 2 egg nest, and two eggs went into a one-egg nest that I actually tried to