Hi, Tweets. I am currently trying to determine if *any* of the Elegant Tern
invasion experienced this past summer/fall in Oregon and Washington made it
up to BC. Only two posts to Tweeters: one from Michael Price on Oct. 5/97 that
he had a report of a couple from off Point Grey Oct. 4/97 which he couldn't
find on the 5th; and the following cut from Richard Rowlett which seems to
suggest some knowledge that so far has not been tapped:

"Inbound (San Diego) over and around Cortes Bank on 10/29 was beautiful,
calm, warm, and virtually birdless, save for a handful of Western Gulls. Bummer.

If a dispersion of "El Nino" seabirds could be interpreted anywhere, it
would have to be coastal. As Elegant Terns wandered northward in coastal waters
all the way to British Columbia in unprecedented numbers during the summer,
it seemed a shoe-in for nomination as "poster bird" of the 1997 ENSO event.
However, few or none seem to have lingered in the Pacific Northwest after
August or September. Perhaps, post-dispersal southbound birds all
collected in the San Francisco Bay area in mid-October. A spectacular feeding
frenzy of 1,650 Elegant Terns was observed as we sailed into San Francisco at
dawn on 10/14, all concentrated in rips between the Golden Gate & Alcatraz.
That stretch of track looked like a snow storm. I counted and recounted and
recounted, always coming up with the same figure, plus or minus a few."

Fess up, Richard. Do you really know if ELTEs made it to BC? Sieving through the
75K words of input from the s. coast of BC people and no mention of Elegants.
Weird...

- Jack

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Jack Bowling
Prince George, BC
jbowling at direct.ca