On Aug 27 from a boat in the Nisqually Delta, Cathy Laetz, Kris Baker and I
were privileged to see a flock of well over 100 common mergansers, so many
that they made the water appear to boil; nearby fishermen thought the
splashing was from a giant school of fish. Purple martins were heard in the
mid morning near the mouth of McAllister Creek. Kris Baker identified a
Cassin's Auklet, getting a good look at the white crescents above and below
the eyes. Harbor seals were readily seen by the dozens by the mouth of the
river, and we found the gammarid amphipod Eogammarus confervicolus by the
tens of thousands. Dowitchers, western and least sandpipers, killdeer,
phalaropes, eagles, ospreys, harriers, and a merlin were some of our other
companions. A nice day of work...

Kevin Li
Seattle WA