Subject: Crested Caracara
Date: Jan 25 10:00:44 1998
From: B&P Bell - bellasoc at mail.isomedia.com
Hi Tweets
Toby Andrews, Thero North and I made a long, partially wet, but
Successful! journey out to Neah Bay today in search of the Crested
Caracara. After searching fruitlessly for about 2-and-a-half hours we
heard that the bird had been seen about an hour earlier down by the
General Store and Post Office. We went to the area and ran into Seattle
Audubon Master Birder Isabel Landsberg who had seen the bird first. It
had flown in and perched for a few minutes then flew off to the
southeast. It returned for a brief fly through about 45 minutes later.
We, as well as five or six other cars of birders, reconnoitered and then
returned to the area near the Post Office. We had been waiting for about
15 or 20 minutes when the bird found us. It flew in about 2:30 p.m. and
perched in the top of a conifer about 100 yards away. Over the next 20
minutes we all had great looks - black crest over white head, basal
two-thirds of the bill (upper and lower mandibles) orangey-red and
frontal one-third an almost blue grey, breast feathers basically white
with dark brown-black barring and spotting, body and wings
brownish-black, yellow tarsi and feet, undertail coverts white, and tail
white with fine blackish barrings and a broad black tip to the tail.
When the bird flew we got good views of the dark wings with white
primaries with blackish tips. Great view of a great bird. While we were
there Jim Burlingame arrived and was glad many people had a chance to
see the bird.
Other nice sightings among about 35+ species seen during the day -
1. about 30+ Bald Eagles, with many apparently paired up;
2. a nice cluster of 15 Black Oyestercatchers huddling on a rock just
east of Neah Bay;
3. many Red-breasted Mergansers with a number of males in nice alternate
plumage;
4. 5 Common Snipe in Sekiu;
5. all three scoters;
6. a report by Kraig Kemper of a Black-legged Kittiwake in Neah Bay; and
7. a Sea Otter diving, resting on its back and eating.
Given the prediction for heavy rains and high winds our weather was
almost balmy - light rain showers, light to no winds, and no rain during
the period we were observing the Caracara. All in all a very good day.
Brian H. Bell
Woodinville Wa
bellasoc at isomedia.com