Tweets,
Yesterday, March 21, Judy Mullally and I went out to Neah Bay to help
with the Cape Flattery Hawk Watch. We spent a bone chilling wet day on the
mountain seeing one Sharpie, a handful of Redtails and the usual cruising
Bald Eagles. The game was called at 2:30 because we were socked in.
Down below, the weather was a little better and a stop at the Senior
Center in Neah Bay yielded a Say's Phoebe on the rocks, my first for the
county and indeed for the westside. It flew off to the head of the bay and we
could not relocate it. There were also about 25 mostly adult California
Gulls, the first for the year for me west of the Cascades. I could only find
one immature Thayer's in the flock and this is a very dependable place for
them in the winter at any other than high tide.
Just outside of Neah Bay at Seal and Sail Rocks we had a flock of Black
Turnstones with at least 6 Surfbirds. There was also a tight flock of Surf
Scoters and Oldsquaw diving in unison with about 150 Oldsquaw present. This
was the largest discrete flock that I have experienced.
At the Hoko River just west of Seiku about 40 Turkey Vultures were flying
low. These were the first for the year for me. I presume they were migrating
as we never see numbers like that in the summer. We do think that a lot
migrate up the coast but unless visibility and winds are perfect, they seem
to then work up the coast of the Strait of Juan de Fuca going east as we
observe them from the Hawkwatch Site. Perhaps they come east to Striped Peak
just west of Port Angeles and then cross. In autumn, Diane McRae, has shown
that is where the southbound Turkey Vultures from Vancouver Island make
landfall in large numbers.
Bob Norton
Joyce, WA (near Port Angeles)
norton360 at aol.com