[birding] Storm pushing birds in from coast?

[Austin Booth]

Tonight while driving home from Lebanon to Albany I saw a large gull 
flying over a field, It was pouring rain and I didn't get good looks 
because I was driving so I don't know what type of gull it was. I moved 
to Albany in March and this is the first gull I've seen in the area 
since I moved here. I'm sure they show up more frequently in the winter 
but I thought it was odd. Does anyone think that this storm may be 
pushing some coastal birds inland, it was unusually heavy today for this 
time of year, should we keep an eye out for rarities? I remember several 
years ago seeing a bunch of Red Phalaropes which are usually a pelagic 
species in a parking lot on the coast in California but I had heard 
about other Red Phalaropes being seen farther inland during the same 
storm. I know we probably won't be seeing Red Phalaropes but maybe we 
should be on the lookout for other coastal species? Just a thought.

Austin Booth