Tweeters,

Happy New Year!!
The final Protection Island cruise of 1997, ending in a glorious display of
winter sunshine, resulted in the following sightings:
(P) Protection Island
(R) Rat Island, Kilisut Harbor, Indian Island area

The highlights of the day were clearly the sighting of an Elephant Seal on
the Protection Island shore and the Northern Harrier hunting on the west
end of Protection Island.

BIRDS
Common Loon - P R
Pacific Loon - R
Western Grebe - P R
Red Necked Grebe - P R
Horned Grebe - P R
Double Crested Cormorant - P R
Brandt's Cormorant - P R
Pelagic Cormorant - P R
Great Blue Heron - P R
Black Brandt - P R
Black Scoter - R
White Winged Scoter - P R
Surf Scoter - P R
Harlequin Duck - P R
Clangula hyemalis - P R
Common Goldeneye - R
Bufflehead - P R
Red Breasted Merganser - P R
Sanderling - P
Bonaparte Gull - P
Mew Gull - R
Glaucus Winged gull - P R
Pigeon Guillemont - P
Bald Eagle - P R
Northern Harrier - P
Rock Dove - Point Hudson Marina
Belted Kingfisher - Point Hudson Marina
Northwestern Crow - P R
Raven - R
Starling - P

MAMMALS
Northern Sea Lion - on the Buoy off Point Hudson
Harbor Seal - P R
Elephant Seal - P

The 1997 Protection Island birding cruises resulted in sightings of over 60
different bird species and 6 mammal species. While the Brown Booby and the
Yellow Billed Loon were the obvious headliners of the year, the consistant
variety of species and behavior were, for me anyway, the most engaging
aspect of each trip. Sighting huge flocks of certain species, such as
rafts of Clangula hyemalis (Long Tailed Ducks/Old Squaw) off of Protection
Island was comperably rewarding.
We'd like to thank the great number of wonderful birders who came on these
trips, some very knowledgable & some just learning, like myself. The
interaction & collaboration of people aboard (behavior of the human
species) helped make the trips as successful as they have been; success
being defined as that beyond simply going out & racking up bird counts.
1998 cruises begin in concert with spring migration patterns on Saturday,
March 21st and will continue throughout the year. This year we are also
scheduling one sail cruise aboard the 101 foot schooner ADVENTURESS and
some exclusive trips for school groups. Please get in touch if you would
like to sign up for a 1998 cruise or receive our 1998 schedule.

Best wishes for a peaceful and rewarding 1998

Peter Badame
Port Townsend Marine Science Center
360-385-5582

FEBRUARY 7, 1998 Event:
" El Nino 1997-98: a look at impacts on the marine environment and ecology
of western Washington" with Dr. Nate Mantua, U of W Department of
Atmospheric Sciences
A free presentation, open to the public, as part of our education series in
the marine sciences.
1:30 pm, Pope Marine Park Building in downtown Port Townsend