Subject: Amphitrite Point BC (mega loons!)
Date: May 04 06:02:05 1998
From: Don Cecile - dcecile at sd70.bc.ca


Hi tweets, I decided another trip to the coastal location of Amphitrite
Point in Ucluelet (west coast vancouver island) was in order. I always enjoy
seabirding from shore and besides I wanted to see just how many loons move
up the coast (I had suggested to a friend that a significant percentage of
the world's pacific loons could be seen from this location) I spent ~3hrs
watching birds go by on Sat. May 2 and ~5hrs on Sun. May 3. The following
list holds some interesting numbers and a few surprises. Interesting were
the high numbers of some species and the really low numbers of others.

A few things to note:

1) I could not keep track of numbers of cormorants (especially pelagic) and
murres due to their flights to and from nesting areas in Barkley sound.

2) the pacific loons were found to be of two types: those flying close to
shore were from the staging flocks in Barkley sound, and the ones far off
shore are passing by from locations farther south.


May 2 May 3 TOTAL

Pacific Loon 4266 Pacific Loon 6755 11 021
RT loon 1 RT loon 1 2
YB loon 1 1
Common Loon 3 Common Loon 4 7
Surf Scoter 2425 Surf Scoter 1002 3427
WW Scoter 6 WW Scoter 3 9
Black Scoter 6 6
S.Shearwater 481 S.Shearwater 450 931
Whimbrel 2 Whimbrel 3 5
Scaup 340 Scaup 6 346
GW Teal 345 GW Teal 112 457
Brant 792 Brant 502 1294
Jaeger sp. 1 Jaeger sp. 1 2
N. Shoveler 95 N. Shoveler 187 282
peeps 1500 peeps 100 1600
N. Pintail 140 N. Pintail 4 144
BB Plover 5 5
Harlequin Duck 1 1
Rhino Auklet 4 Rhino Auklet 23 27
Marbled Godwit 16 16
Dowitcher 8 8
P.Guillemot 13 13
M.Murrelet 8 8
Black Turnstone 3 3
A. Wigeon 6 6
C. Goose 2 2
RB Merganser 2 2
Bonaparte'sGull 11 11
G. Yellowlegs 1 1


GRAND TOTAL 19 637






cheers,

Don Cecile (dcecile at sd70.bc.ca)
Vice-Principal
Mount Klitsa Junior Secondary
5100 Tebo Road
Port Alberni, BC
V9Y 6Z5
tel: (250)723-8195
fax: (250)723-3583