Phil Kelley asked about a "small, nondescript birds on the water out in
the straights (snip) mostly gray, with no real identifying features My
first thought is storm petrels, but I'm not sure".

Storm Petrels are tiny, delicate looking and fly very swallow-like. I
think Fork-tailed are the most common off Neah Bay and are gray but to me
appear more black/gray and white than plain gray. They rarely stop
flying. Leah's Storm Petrels are dark brown/black with a white rump
patch. I don't think they are very common off shore this time of year. If
your bird was sitting on the water and was gull sized or smaller I would
hazard a guess it was a Northern Fulmar (gray phase) or a Sooty
Shearwater. Fulmars and Shearwaters are probably the most common of the
pelagic birds off this coast. Shearwaters are more charcoal than gray
but on the water on a gray day everything looks gray. If it was quite a
bit smaller than a gull it may have been a Rhinoceros Auklet. I saw
hundreds of them off Neah Bay last fall. Cassin's Auklet and Tufted
Puffins are possible. The Pigeon Guillemots are quite common but will be
black with white wings this time of year.

The best advice is to take Terry Wahl along but other than that study
your guides. I have found pelagic birding hard work especially if you
are the only birder in the group.

Thats my 2 cents worth (well maybe a nickel).

Tracee Geernaert
tracee at iphc.washington.edu