A letter to the West Seattle Herald, 10/21/98:

For those readers who enjoy the "wild side" of West Seattle, I am happy to
announce the return of some of our favorite winter seabirds.

Since around Oct. 1, we have widnessed the arrival of the horned grebes,
surf scoters and harlequin ducks - all regulars throughout the winter
months - as well as a few less common visitors, including Bonaparte's gulls
and common terns. Soon they will be joined by the buffleheads, goldeneyes,
Western grebes and a few others, completing the cast of characters for the
winter season.

Unfortunately, all of the news I have to report is not good. This past
Sunday, as we were enjoying the birds on the Sound, two men on Jet-Skis
(also known as personal watercraft) repeatedly tried to run over the rafting
birds, apparently for "sport".

Their favorite trick, which seemed to be their game plan for the day, was to
creep very slowly toward the seabirds until they were nearly in their midst,
and then suddenly gun their motors to full throttle, scattering the birds
(possibly hitting some), and then roaring back and forth, spinning in
circles. What a shame!


John Loftus

Alki

We need to do whatever we can to ban these senseless machines from all
waters harboring wildlife.

Wm Mulligan wmulligan at msn.com
8423 California Av SW Seattle WA 98136
206-932-4340 FAX 206-937-6619