Hi folks,

I had the opportunity to spend the day *working* on the water last
Monday the 26th, observing the salmon fishery from Apple Cove Point
down to Gig Harbor and back. Daybreak until dark on the last (?) sunny
day of the fall.... Flat water. 70-some degrees. Even had time to
look at a few birds. Tough duty, but..... I saw:

Common Loon
Pacific Loon - several flocks, +150 in Port Orchard S of Agate Pass
Red-throated Loon
Western Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant - roost of 70+ in fir at Brownsville in a.m.
Pelagic Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant - at Blakely Rock
Great Blue Heron
Coot
Canada Goose - B.c. moffitti near Silverdale
Mallard
American Wigeon
Green-winged Teal - 24 flying S along Bainbridge
Red-breasted Merganser
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter - 1 female in Port Madison
Oldsquaw - ~20 in Port Orchard S of Agate Pass
Heerman's Gull
California Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Mew Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull + several 'western gull' types
Bonaparte's Gull
Caspian Tern - 2 calling to each other
Surfbird - about 60 at Blakely Rock, off S Bainbridge Island
Black Turnstone - about 85 at Blakely Rock
Sanderling - about 40 at Blakely Rock
Rhinoceros Auklet
Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot - all were in basic (white/grey) plumage
Bald Eagle - 2 at Point Monroe - watched one catch a Murre!!
Rock Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Crows
Starling

Also saw the mandatory harbor seals and California sea lions. No
cetaceans, although I had seen a pod of ~5 Dall's Porpoise up in
Port Gardner near Mukilteo yesterday (27 Oct).

The most exciting birding that morning, for me, was watching the
Bald Eagle take the murre from the water. The large (c.f. female?)
eagle came in from 'behind' (from the water side) to pluck the unwary
murre from the water. She flew up to the beach and plucked the
murre with about a dozen crows attending very noisily. A smaller
eagle (male?) came out of the firs above Port Madison & swooped
once at her, scattering the crows and glaucous-winged gulls, which
soon returned. The big eagle ate about 1/2 of the murre, then
apparently couldn't take it any more, so flew off along the beach
toward Agate Point, carrying away her prey with the dozen crows
and gulls - and the little male eagle - following and screaming at her.

Great day to be out on Puget Sound! But then again, the worst day
outdoors beats the heck out of the best day in the office.

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net