Bob Norton wrote:

> The first request for information from those that know these birds better
>than Bob or I do is about ID of flying birds.
>Last year with the AnMu invasion we noticed low flying lines of AnMu's
>several times simultaneously plunge (dive) into the water from the height of
>several feet. We had never seen MaMu's do this. We felt this might be a
>distant ID help. Anyone agree? None today did this by the way.

Yes, I think this is a great field mark.

> Bob and I both agreed on two flying lines today not being MaMu's and
>concluded that they were probably AnMu's. In trying to figure why we felt
>that way we agreed that we could not recall seeing flying lines of MaMu's.
>Agreement?

Marbled are usually single or in pairs, *much* more rarely in triplets.
I've never seen more than that together.

Marbled also rock back and forth very obviously in flight, turning on their
own axis (for some reason entirely obscure to me). I think you can see the
dark underwings of Marbled and snowy-white underwings of Ancient in flight.

> Also, I have been told the usual pattern is to see AnMu's heading into
>Puget Sound in November only to disappear into the <Puget Triangle>, not
>being seen during the winter or heading out in the spring. Doesn't seem to
>make sense.

That's the pattern. Presumably they come into the protected waters and
feed like mad during November, then in December fly out to the Pacific
Ocean, where they winter offshore.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416