Hi Tweets,

Taking a chance that there might be some pelagics driven in from the ocean
to the inland passage of Georgia Strait between Vancouver Island and the BC
mainland, I took the Vancouver BC--Victoria ferry which runs from the
Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal Jetty to Schwartz Bay in Saanich BC, about 30 km
(20 mi) N of Victoria. Sweet Fanny Adams on the pelagics, and very low
numbers of everything else---only young- (Alt 1) and middle- (Alt 2)
adolescent California Gulls L. californicus showing anything approaching
usual numbers once away from shore---with the lowest number of
all--*zero*--of Bonaparte's Gulls Larus philadelphia; normally at this time
of year, first- and second-summer birds, which don't usually join the
inland/northward migration, are all over the Tsawwassen ferry berths,
feeding on stuff churned to the surface by the ferries' screws. Where are
they all?

Highlights: at Tsawwassen, an adult PEREGRINE FALCON Falco peregrinus,
probably a Peale's-race bird from one of the Gulf Island eyries, perched on
a log at the E end of the breakwater to the S of the ferry terminal; in
Georgia Strait, a classic light-morph PARASITIC JAEGER Stercorarius
parasiticus about ten minutes out from Tswn; in Active Pass, a Def Alternate
HEERMANN'S GULL Larus heermanni at the E entrance, and over Mayne and
Galiano Islands, eight TURKEY VULTURES Cathartes aura (six on the Galiano
side, two over Mayne).

Conditions: wind NW 30-40 km/hr, scattered cloud, thickening from NW in
later afternoon, tide mid-high flood, sea-state moderate to heavy chop,
moderate tide-rips at entrances to Active Pass.

Numbers are the higher total of the round trip.

Tsawwassen: (highest totals)

Double-crested Cormorant 12
Pelagic Cormorant 35
Great Blue Heron 29
Scaup sp. ~50 prob Greater
Scoter sp. ~75 prob White-winged & Surf
*Peregrine Falcon* 1 ad
Black Oystercatcher 1
California Gull ~75 most Alt 1, some Alt 2
Glaucous-winged Gull ~200 most ad, 10% Alt 1, some Alt 2
Western X Glaucous-winged Gull 1 ad
Rock Dove 7
Northwestern Crow 5
Swallow sp. 1
European Starling 4

Georgia Strait (highest totals)

*Parasitic Jaeger* 1 light-morph
California Gull 25 22 Alt 1, 3 Alt 2, (no ads)
Glaucous-winged Gull 3 all ads

Active Pass (highest totals)

Brandt's Cormorant 1
Turkey Vulture 8 6 Galiano Is., 2 Mayne Is.
Bald Eagle 1 ad
*Heermann's Gull* 1 Def Alt
California Gull 78 most Alt 1, a few Alt 2, no ads
Glaucous-winged Gull 21 all ad
Pigeon Guillemot 1 Def Alt
Harbor Seal ~75 hauled out on W entrance beacon

Schwartz Bay

Glaucous-winged Gull 8 6 ad, 2 Alt 1
Pigeon Guillemot 1 Def Alt
Northwestern Crow 4

Pretty slim pickings for this time of year.

Michael Price
Vancouver BC Canada
mprice at mindlink.net