Subject: Re: Dark billed rhino auklet?/Marina Report
Date: Dec 26 08:57:02 1995
From: Maureen Ellis - me2 at u.washington.edu


Jack Stevens,

I have also seen "darker" billed mystery alcids close to the fishing pier,
and everything else about them: Size, plumage, general gross morphology of
body and bill says Rhinocerous Auklet-juvenile. Tiz a puzzlement.

May I add to your good list for the Marina over the Christmas weekend:
There were two male pintails; this is the first time I've seen pintails
in my year of monitoring the Des Moines Marina area. And, you mentioned
seeing the Eurasian Wigeon..........a beautiful male AND a rufous form of
the female (easy to distinquish from the female American Wigeons).
While, I didn't see the axillaries for the gray, her brownish red,
slightly mottled head color ran directly onto the upper chest. I.e.,
there was no demarkation of color such as is seen in the American female.

After 1PM with the fog thinning, the light was great for long, studied
views of the plumage and feeding behavior of a variety of sea fowl.

Maureen E. Ellis (U of WA, Seattle, WA, me2 at u.washington.edu)
Note: The Rainier Audubon Chapter will do the CBC that includes the
Marina this coming Sunday, New Year's Eve Day.
**************************************************************************
On Tue, 26 Dec
1995 JohnRoby at aol.com wrote:

> I was out at the Des Moines Marina yesterday and saw a nice variety of birds;
> rafts of Surf & White Winged Scoters, Mallard, Widgeon (both kinds), Greater
> Scaup, Grebes (Western, Horned, Red-Necked), Goldeneye (both kinds) Pigeon
> Guillemots and Rhinoceros Auklets. I saw one small dark alcid swimming
> directly away just at the outer reaches of my scope's range. I was sure it
> was another Rhino Auklet, but when it turned its head to the side it had a
> dark bill. There was definitely no white on the head or body. The sun was low
> in the sky quartering towards me, this was about 3:30 PM with the bird headed
> due west. Was this just unfavorable lighting giving the impression of a dark
> bill? Do Rhinos ever have dark bills? Any chance this was a Cassin's Auklet?
> (seemed too big to me but I've never seen a Cassin's).
>
> Jack Stephens
> johnroby at aol.com
> Edmonds WA
>
> December 25, 1995
>