It has been brought to my attention that some folks interpreted my post
saturday as indicating I was within the 200 yard limit at Protection
island. Since this interpretation has apparently reached and upset some
people the questionable statement is repeated and clarified here.

>Bobbing around while trying to see head details as the bird flys (sic) by
at 50 yards is tricky, so the lack of blue and possible white patch are
suspect.

Note the bird FLIES by at 50 yards. I was probably 400 to 800 yards out at
the time as that was where the bird was flying around. In the post the
bird flying and a description of the under wing are also mentioned further
adding clues that the bird was viewed on wing. This was by far the best
view achieved of the bird.

The distance to the beach while the bird was on the rock was much greater
but difficult to gauge (also true of the distance the bird flew by at).
This brings up a practical problem with the buffer. It is difficult to
judge distance precisely.

It would be much easier if crab pot style bouys were put out to mark the
distance. Concrete blocks, nylon rope, and floats would make a good set of
markers. It might take 30 to mark the south side of the island adequately.
With a differential GPS, or a 200 yard cord, it would only take a day to
set the bouys, and volunteer labor could probably do most of the work.
This would make the location clear to all who want to, or feel like they
should respect the boundary.


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