Subject: probable Parakeet Auklet
Date: Aug 25 08:35:17 1998
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at mail.ups.edu


Hi tweets,

On Saturday 22 August, while on the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston at about
09:00, I saw an alcid fly by in front of the boat, heading north. If I had
been in Alaska, I would have unhesitatingly called it a Parakeet Auklet, as
it was vividly black and white, appeared smaller than the several juvenile
Rhinoceros Auklets I had just observed in flight, and appeared to have
relatively broad wings and leisurely wingbeats for an alcid, a
characteristic I had noted in Alaska. I thought but was not 100% sure in
retrospect that I had seen a white line on the side of the head, also a
distinction from juvenile Rhino (the only other possibility). I saw the
bird for only a few seconds, and then it was gone, leaving me excited but
disappointed at not having a longer and better look. If only we could hit
the "rewind" button for such instances!

This of course would be a very unusual record. All accepted previous
records for Washington are on (mostly off) the outer coast, in winter
(there are summer records in California). My lack of complete certainty
precludes my official submission of the record, but deep inside I feel that
it was a Parakeet Auklet. This message is mostly to caution people to check
alcids carefully wherever and whenever you see them!

Dennis

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 253-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 253-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html