Folks,

Saturday, December 16, spotted two marbled murrelets SW from the fishing
pier at the Des Moines Marina. The large 300+ raft of surf scoters
remain with a few white winged scoters joining the group. The
cranky, solitary female common merganser is still around. Still more
horned, red-necked, and western grebes all feeding close to the pier and
the lagoon north of the marina. Could also spot a couple of murres and
rhino auklets further out in the Sound.

A common loon regularly dives and feeds close to the marina
entrance and back and forth under the fishing pier within an easy
un-binoculared eyeful; a magnificent bird even in drab winter plumage.
Bufflehead (recent) are seen in addition to both species
of goldeneye. The large numbers of wigeon fluctuate widely, and at least
two GBH's (perhaps our breeding pair) have returned to the rock jetty.
The double-crested cormorant wintering population appears to have
stabilized at 8-10 birds.

The trees near the marina were full of noisy, foraging waves of bushtits,
both species of kinglets, and black-capped chickadees. Perhaps, a
response to recent severe weather? In fact, the blackberry thickets were
also emitting high-volume, raucous small-bird calls.....about midmorning
Saturday, an after-the-storm celebration? It sounded almost "spring-like."

This morning (Monday) on the way in to UW, I saw a peregrine falcon flying
low over the Alaska Way Viaduct NE of the Harbor Island area. Could not see
a band, but it was a quick look in overcast morning light.

More, when interesting accumulation of sightings...............

Maureen E. Ellis
Toxicology Group at Roos 1, Box 354695
Dept of Environmental Health
School of Public Health and Community Medicine
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
me2 at u.washington.edu