Unusual sighting

[Rafael Furniss <>]

A Kelp Gull has been sighted in Townsville last Tuesday and Friday. It is 
thought to be a first sighting for North Queensland, and that it was 
probably blown off course on it's way from NZ. I went for a look yesterday 
along the Strand and the usual nearby freshwater bathing pools frequented by 
gulls and terns, but no luck. It got a mention in the paper with a photo of 
the spotter (Frank Harrison, grinning) and the gull flying just next to his 
head. 

Are the winds at this time off year strong enough to blow it this far off 
course? Or is it more likely to have hitched a lift on a ship? 

Rafael
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