The shorebirds in groups were likley Red-necked Phalaropes. Often hundreds
to a couple of thousand phalaropes are in the waters off Pt. no Pt. at the
end of August. I have seen Jaegers as soon as the last week of August at
Pt. no Pt.

Scott Downes
sdownes at u.washington.edu
Seattle WA



On Tue, 26 Aug 1997, Kelly Mcallister wrote:

> Tweeters,
>
> Point No Point is alive with fish and lots of birds are appreciative
> (The ubiquitous Pacific sandlance is likely the top attractant.
> The locals call them "candlefish", apparently a name commonly
> applied to different species in different places).
>
> Bald eagles are usually ever-present but during the last two days that
> I was there, I didn't see one. There were four osprey fishing with
> fair regularity. I watched them catch quite a few salmon, sometimes
> lifting off with extreme difficulty because of the size of the catch.
>
> A marbled murrelet popped up and down in front of me at a mere 30 feet or so.
> Rhinoceros auklets and Common Murres were commonly seen. Heerman's gulls
> frequent the beach and nearshore area.
>
> My brother managed to catch a Bonaparte's gull when bird and fishing line
> collided in flight. I had the pleasure of handling the delicate little
> gull for a moment before releasing it.
>
> If I was a better birder, I would have been able to identify some of the
> shorebirds that sped by (some in flocks, one a memorably boldly marked
> single). Oh well, all the more reason to keep working on it.
>
> When will the jaegers arrive?
>
> Kelly McAllister
>
>