> Greetings, Ken Gale! I hope you enjoy your visit to Tweeterland.

I've been enjoying it immensely!!!!

> > 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.

It was worth asking, I think (I've only seen Pigeon Gulliemots do that so
far).

> >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.

Boy do I agree with you! I've seen Marbleds rather close without seeing
the white scapulars. The probably Ancients I saw were so far away, I'm
not sure how well I saw the throats. Or necks.

> 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.

He certainly has! I have over a week left in the state, so there's still
plenty of time for birding. Are Marbled Murrelets EVER in flocks, even
small flocks?

Thanks for the info!

Happy bird-day,
Ken

Ken Gale, NYC