Hang onto your binocs, Tweets. If our coastal mudflats are any
indication, the shorebirds are heading south in droves. We
have had over 1,000 Short-billed Dowitchers, hundreds of
Hudsonian Godwits, a couple of Surfbirds and Sanderlings
and at one point 100 or so Semipalmated Plovers staging
since about June 17. Rarities included a Marbled Godwit
(becoming my 4th lifer in under a week) and a male Eurasian
Widgeon - first time one has ever been seen in June in
the upper Cook Inlet region.

As for El Nino effects, there have been a couple of salmon
runs already that exceeded biologists' estimates by -
I forget the factor - 8 or 10 - anyway, greatly exceeded.

Chris Maack
Anchorage, AK
CMaack at compuserve.com