Hi Tweets,

on another weekend trip with non-birders, I got to Tofino and on a
whalewatching trip Sat. evening. 2 Grey whales were surface-feeding, thus
allowing us to see their back and spouting regularly. The light was very
good and made differences in the forest cover evident; impressive/ depressive
to see the trail of a mudslide of 40m width which started halfway up a hill,
exactly as far as the logging went.
Some birds of that trip: Tufted Puffin (a single one straggling home
shortly after sunset), Rhinoceros Auklet (according to our guide), Common
Murres, Pigeon Guillemots, and smaller Alcids floating on the water -
Cassin Auklets? [Their rear end seemed to be higher, with white below
darkbrown/grey] In the air at various times were Bald Eagle and 2
Ospreys, plus some Black Oystercatcher.
Other birds on the trip: Red Crossbills, juv. Common Yellowthroat (Radar
Hill/Long Beach Nat'l Park), Killdeer, Kingfisher quarrelling with Crows,
Pine Siskins (Long Beach), Dipper (Upper Kennedy Creek/Hwy 4), Turkey
Vulture at Horseshoe Bay.

Reto Riesen
Dept. Chem., UBC
Vancouver, B.C.
riesenr at chem.ubc.ca