There has been a steady week of reports of Leach's storm petrels (LESP) in
central - south Puget Sound since the 12Dec95 storm, especially off Pierce
County and from the Vashion Island ferry, posted on the WA BirdBox, with
10-12 reported off Tacoma on a CBC there. Hmmm...curious. Why there and
nowhere else in Washington's inland marine waters? Fork-tailed storm petrels
(FTSP) would seem far more likely at any time of year and so far the only
species I've ever seen in nearshore and inland waters.

Even more curious and indeed surprising to me were that I saw absolutely none
(LESP) through that entire month-long cetacean research cruise off California
and two transit periods along and off the shelf break off Oregon and
Washington (mid-Nov & early Dec). FTSP was scarce enough and those few were
only seen off southern Washington, and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and
south to Point No Point in early December.

Post breeding dispersal usually places LESP far far out in the pelagic realm.
Young birds and non-breeders (white-rumped forms) are in fact among the most
common and widespread of all seabirds all through the Eastern Tropical
Pacific, out to at least Hawaii, and south to well south of the equator
(20+S) in summer (Jul-Nov and probably year-round). The dark-rumped forms
(So.Baja California) generally do not disperse as far seaward, rather
southward to the Gulf of Panama with a few at least to Ecuador / Peru. Those
far flung white-rumped forms strewn all across the entire north, central, and
tropical Pacific have probably launched from the numerous Aleutian Island
breeding sites.

Richard A. Rowlett <pagodroma at ao.com>
Bellevue, WA, USA