Subject: Re: Pelican Invasion and fork tailed adventures
Date: Oct 17 08:31:38 1997
From: Michael Kennedy - mkennedy at waypt.com


Thanks for the information and going out on a limb, Kelly. I hadn't
realized they were so close in large numbers. It makes this years pelican
invasion seem like a small range expansion ( an extra hundred miles on a
many hundred mile journey north) whether it is caused by el nino or not.
Does anybody know where the nearest breeding birds are? It certainly makes
sense that there is more southern food in the water because of El nino.
The water is definately more comfortable than usual (maybe pelicans like
that) and there are many fish species ranging farther north as well.

It would also be interesting to compare arrival/departure dates at Willipa
bay to see if they have extended their stay. Do you know the traditional
arrival/departure dates for these guys? We need a southern Washington
Michael Price!

This week I've been trying to get views of the petrals. Hearing all the
accounts has been frustrating since it seems many should be visible from
here, but the main stream of birds is generally to the Whidbey side of
admiralty inlet. Speculative sightings of small dark birds flitting along
the water is all I've seen. Finally yesterday a petral flew by quite close
as I was rowing!

The best part was the looking! It has been great spending so much time
watching the water. The killer whales went by on their way south monday, a
minke whale hung out and fed tuesday. Huge numbers of pacific loons, common
murres, pigeon guillemots, pelagic cormorants, heermanns and
glaucous-winged gulls go by resting on the water as the current sweeps them
along. There is so much that goes on out on the water.
Even living in Port Townsend surrounded by water it is easy to forget it's
there. It always surprizes me a little to go from the human world of town
to the wild world out on the water. Even when the wilderness is very close
to civilization, it can be hard to hear the voice.

At 08:23 PM 10/14/97 -0700, Kelly McAllister:
>Between at least 1986 and 1996 thousands of Brown Pelicans could be
>expected to show up in late summer each year on the Washington coast.
>The mouth of the Columbia River, Willapa Bay, and Grays Harbor were the
>main concentration areas though flocks could easily be observed along
>the coast north of Grays Harbor, in places like Kalaloch Beach and
>at Willoughby Rock. This pattern of late summer/early fall abundance
>on Washington's southern coast seemed pretty consistent during this
>period. This year, a dramatic change is evident.

Michael Kennedy <mkennedy at waypt.com>
Port Townsend, WA, USA