Folks,

Had a wonderful day on a highly varied birding trip with George Gerdt's
Pandion Tours, Sunday, June 16th.

First, Protection Island aboard the 65 foot, double-decker "Ed's Girl"
(the Sound was quite rough with wind chop and swells, enough to induce
sea-sickness or fears thereof):

The usual nesting and numerous glaucous-winged gulls,

lots of pelagic cormorants,

a smaller number of double-crested cormorants,

and 3 to 5 Brandt's cormorants (unexpected; maybe bachelor birds spending
the summer?),

two beautiful male tufted puffins in the water......put on a leisurely
show for us with diving, wing flapping, short flights.......a life bird
for me, and a pair or two of black oyster catchers

AND many groups of bright-red-legged pigeon guillemots, rhinocerous
auklets and a couple of marbled murrelets plus up to a dozen! bald eagles,
mostly immatures and single male harlequin duck. We also saw a few
common murres, and were told this is a GOOD sign; the main pack
must be staying on the outer coast because of enough food and may have a
chance for a successful nesting season.

UNUSUAL findings included a small raft of surf scoters, a few
white-winged scoters and a lone old squaw duck (all unexpected in this
location for this time of year). Most sightings of birds were on the
quieter side of the island away from the brunt of the wind. There were
hundreds of harbor seals hauled out on both the east sand beaches and the
west spit areas; we saw no other marine mammals.

The afternoon was spent landlubbing first at the nature center lake (Kah
Tai-spelling?) in Port Townsend. Highlights included four species of
swallows, gorgeous male ruddy ducks, a family of Virginia rails calling, a
pair of lesser scaup, American goldfinches, noisy marsh wrens, etc.; it
was quite cold for the middle of June (winter coat cold).

Anderson Lake Park was a new place for me........great for small
passerines such as purple finches, solitary vireo, Wilson's warbler,
willow flycatcher, and Western tanager. The second most delightful
sighting of the day---after the puffins---was a mother ruffed grouse with
about-a-week-old chicks seen just down the road from the park.

The chilly weather must have kept away the crowds, as there was much less
traffic and fewer folks on the beautiful trails, a bonus!

Places for returning............Maureen E. Ellis
University of WA and Des Moines WA me2 at u.washington.edu