Tweeters
The Protection Island Birding Trip of 10/26/96 encompassed both Protection
Island as well as Smith Island & Minor Island. We did not go to Rat Island
but added Smith/Minor because the Strait was in the grip of a very stable
high pressure system resulting in excellent visibility and exceptionally
calm waters.These atmospheric conditions are the perfect antidote for
seasickness and seem to enhance the number of birds available and obviously
the ability of passengers to spot same.

Indeed the highlights of this trip were the large number of birds spotted,
particularly in the open waters off of Protection Island as well as on
Minor Island. Harbor seal sightings on Protection Island included many
groups of seals swimming off shore and Smith/Minor included beaches
completely covered with seals. The marine mammal event of the day,
however, was a group of approximately 40 Harbor Porpoise we cruised through
in Partridge Bank.

Protection Island sightings:
Glaucus winged Gulls
Northwestern Crows
Pigeon Guillemonts
Pelagic Cormorants
Double Crested Cormorants
Mew Gulls
White Winged scoters
Common murres
Surf Scoters
Harlequin Ducks
Red Breasted Mergansers
Red Necked Grebes
Oldsquaws
Common Loons
Pacific Loons
Buffleheads
Sanderlings
Rhinoceros Auklets
Horned Grebes
Great Blue Herons

Smith I/Minor I sightings:
Glaucus Winged Gulls
Pigeon Guillemonts
Pelagic Cormorants
Double Crested Cormorants
Mew Gulls
Heerman's Gulls
White Winged scoters
Common murres
Surf Scoters
Harlequin Ducks
Bald Eagles
Western Sandpipers
Red Necked Grebes
Oldsquaws
Common Loons
Sanderlings
Rhinoceros Auklets
Black Turnstones
Western Grebes
Horned Grebes
Black Bellied Plovers
Great Blue Herons

Sighings entering & leaving the Port townsend Boat Basin:
Great Blue Heron
Bonaparte Gulls
Starlings
Rock Doves
Glaucus Winged Gulls

The next public Protection Island Cruise is set for Saturday, November2nd.
On Friday, November 1st we're taking 44 Washington State Science Teachers,
attending the WSTA conference, on a Protection Island tour as one of their
field trips. We are encouraged to see this interest in birding by science
teachers.

Peter Badame
PTMSC