Yesterday (9 Jan 98) I saw a remarkable phenomenon!
There is a pass between the northern end of Whidbey Island and Fidalgo Island called Deception Pass. The tidal current flows through this pass at a very high rate of speed. (Yesterday the peak ebb current was >7 knots.) On the ebb tide loons from Puget Sound fly into the Pass, land on the water, and dive for fish as they are being swept into the Sound. They do not seem to have to dive very long before they come up with a fish which they bring to the surface to eat. As they are feeding the current sweeps them west out of sight. Then more loons (presumably some are the same birds seen earlier) fly into the Pass and the process is repeated.
I had been told about this phenomenon by several people and yesterday I decided to see it for myself. I found Keith and Jan Wiggers at the viewing site. We arrived shortly after noon and together we saw hundreds, perhaps a thousand, loons over the next hour and a half. The loons which we could identify were all red-throated and pacific loons. With the loons in the swift current were double-crested and pelagic cormorants, red-breasted mergansers and an occasional pigeon guillemot or common murre. On the periphery, where the current was less intense, were red-necked and horned grebes, marbled murrelets, and, of course, lots of gulls.
On the Padilla Bay CBC this year they counted about 940 loons at this site. That number may be correct, but since at least some of the loons seem to continually recycle it seems hard to know which birds one has already counted. In spite of that uncertainty, this is a true spectacle of nature!
To get to the best viewing site go in the Deception Pass Park entrance on north Whidbey, drive to the West Beach parking area, and park at the far north end of the lot. Then walk about 75 yards north from the parking lot to the viewing point. Deception Pass is fairly wide at this point so a spotting scope is advisable. Check a tide table that shows Deception Pass currents and look for the ebb current during daylight hours. After noon the sun will be at your back making the viewing quite good.
Bill Applegate
applgate at whidbey.net
Oak Harbor, WA