>Hi Tweets,
>
>Just remembered, week and a half ago here in New Westminster BC, there was
>a
>three-day period when Double-crested Cormorants were moving up the Fraser
>River in flocks ranging from 3 birds to largest observed flock of 22, with
>none moving back downriver. I saw about 50-60 birds in this period, which
>suggests quite a few more,

>I'd guess these birds were on their way to inland nesting colonies; be nice
>to see how this movement coincides, or doesn't, with arrival at any
>Interior nesting sites.

This makes perfect sense to me.... I have noticed over the past few weeks
that the double-crested cormorants have essentially left the outer coast of
the island (at least from the Tofino, longbeach perspective).
I am not suggesting that these birds are the same as the ones that appear to
use the Fraser River (as a means of arriving at interior nesting locales),
but rather that the migration you have observed seems to be timed with the
disappearance of the same species from a wintering area.

While on the note of cormorants..... I discovered that at least for now,
(prior to nesting) large numbers of cormorants (Brandt's and Pelagics) spend
the night on the rocks off comber's beach near Tofino. Many of these must
be migrants from somewhere, I was able to estimate 3,330 on the rocks facing
shore, and an unknown number on the outer face of the rocks. Some of them
will remain to nest but clearly this is the largest number of cormorants
ever recorded in that area. It will be interesting to monitor their movements.
Cheers,

Don Cecile
Port Alberni, BC, CANADA V9Y 6Z5
eMAIL: dcecile at cln.etc.bc.ca