Folks,

I haven't figured out how to upload things from my disk
to Don Baccus' new rare-bird report distribution service, so
I'm including my own descriptive notes below and am
sending them out to you all the old-fashioned way. This
discovery was pure luck, but of course, the more one looks,
the more luck one has. If anyone wants to try, walk out to
the beach to the right (oceanward) side of Damon Point, just
beyond the end of the "Snowy Plover nesting area" signs,
beyond the first speedbump on the grand new Damon Pt.
speedway. But the bird moves fast and probably could be
anywhere in the harbor. Good luck!
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Long-billed Murrelet (Brachyramphus perdix) at Ocean Shores

My wife and I had taken our grandson to run off some energy
along the beach on the seaward side of Damon Point, Ocean
Shores, Grays Harbor Co., WA, at about high tide (around 7
pm) on 4 August 1999. I brought my scope (Kowa TSN-823 with
20-60x) and was looking at various seabirds off the beach,
primarily Rhinoceros Auklets, but also a Common Loon, a Surf
Scoter, and various larids. Only about 50 m offshore, as
near as 100 m from where I was standing atop a dune, I
spotted a small alcid swimming rapidly to the right. I
followed it for about 5 minutes and also let my wife (Susan
A. Smith) and grandson (Nicholas A. Dolder) see it through
the scope. It finally dove, and we could not relocate it
when a number of other birds flew in to take advantage of a
nearby boil of baitfish.

Description: about 2/3 the size of a nearby Rhinoceros
Auklet, basically blackish above, white below. The back was
slightly but clearly grayer than the hindneck and cap, and
the scapular area was clearly dappled white, essentially
forming a broad, ill-defined white line. The cap came down
to, and slightly below, the eye, and was essentially
straight, perhaps rising slightly before the bill, which was
black and fairly thin. The hindneck was evenly dark and
showed no sign of a collar. When the bird flapped once, the
wing linings were white, with dark edges to the underwings
all around. The rump was very white. I did not note
whether the nape showed a pale area, and any eyering, if
present, wasn't noticeable under these viewing conditions.

Analysis: the bird was a rather classic Long-billed Murrelet
in the plumage apparently typical at this season. Marbled
Murrelets in basic plumage show a strong although incomplete
collar, and the cap dips noticeably lower at the eye; also,
I believe, the back is more concolorous with the hindneck.
A Kittlitz' Murrelet would show the cap not reaching down to
the eye. Synthliboramphus murrelets lack the white on the
scapulars. Other alcids which are basically black and white
are larger and also lack the white along the scapulars as
was evident on this bird. Molting or immature Pigeon
Guillemots may look something like this bird, but I doubt
they ever are as cleanly contrasting between the upper and
underparts; also the white is on the wing (not the
scapulars) and is squarer in shape.

Comment: According to Mlodinow, 1997, Birding 29: 460-475,
Long-billed Murrelets were confirmed in the Puget Sound,
Washington, area in August 1993 and 1994, and several others
have been noted at this season in coastal Oregon and
California. This bird looked remarkably like the upper
photo on p. 469 of Mlodinow's (1997) article. It wouldn't
surprise me if this bird remains in the area, but finding it
on any given day and time is likely to be utterly
serendipitous.
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P W (Bill) Smith
Grays Harbor, Washington USA
pwsmith at techline.com