On Ken Gales' alcid id thread. Don't forget, of course, there's lots of
Pigeon Guillemots and Rhinoceros Auklets about also.

Gene Hunn, Seattle, hunnhome at accessone.com

At 03:12 PM 12/24/97 -0800, you wrote:
>Greetings, Ken Gale! I hope you enjoy your visit to Tweeterland.
>
>> ...I saw a lot of alcids in the distance, just barely
>>out of binocular ID range. I'd call them a small scattered flock of mixed
>>Common Murres and something else that was much smaller, especially less
>>long-bodied. ... I'm wondering if the "something
>>else" in the distance was Ancient Murrelet.
> [snip]
>> The birds in the distance tended to lift
>>themselves half out of the water every once in a while and flap their
>>wings. The Marbled Murrelets didn't do this. Is that part of the
>>Ancients' jizz (like the tail movement of a Phoebe)?
>
>Sorry, Ken, but no. It's something I've seen done by virtually every alcid
>species I've observed, and they do it pretty often.
>
>>I know the Ancient
>>Murrelet has a dark throat and the Marbled doesn't, but they were so far
>>away I couldn't be sure if the darkness I was seeing was plumage, shadow,
>>blur or wishful thinking.
>
>Actually, I think the dark throat is a pretty good field mark - it's
>probably the first thing I notice, even in a bird flying rapidly away. I
>used to think the white scapulars of Marbleds (winter plumage is assumed in
>this discussion) would be a good separation point, but I've seen tons of
>Marbled Murrelets flying without seeing the scapulars.
>
>I think Alan Knue has provided some good identification hints. Lately I
>have seen both Marbled Murrelets and Ancients, so if you're out here for a
>while you may still have excellent chances to see either or both. Flocks or
>rafts of alcids can be pretty spotty, depending on a host of marine factors
>and the current location of their favored food supply. And while it's true
>that Ancients tend to be found in larger groups more often, compared to the
>pairs/singles/trios favored by Marbleds, the latter are at times found in
>larger groups -- and yesterday I found a *solo* Ancient Murrelet in Port
>Townsend Bay, with not a companion in sight.
>
>Good luck!
>
>-- Janet Hardin
> (ancient student of Marbled Murrelets)
> Port Townsend, WA
> wings at olympus.net
>
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