Dear Tweeters,

Saturday, Oct. 23rd was an outstanding birding day on the regularly
scheduled Port Townsend Marine Science Center Protection Island cruise -
both in terms of species as well as numbers of birds. Migration has
certainly begun through this area in earnest. In addition to spotting our
first Oldsquaw of the season we also spotted a Marbled Murrelet north of
Rat Island/Kilisut Harbor and a Ancient Murrlet just east of Protection
Island. Fall/winter cruises continue with 1PM departures on the fillowing
dates:
Saturday, Oct. 30th
Saturday, Nov. 6th
Saturday, Nov. 27th
Friday, Dec. 31st (New Year's Eve)

Sightings for 10/23:
Key: P-Protection Island R-Rat Island/Kilisut Harbor PtH-Point Hudson
Marina

Common Loon - P/R
Pacific Loon - P
Western Grebe - P
Red Necked Grebe - P/R
Horned Grebe - P
Double Crested Cormorant - P/R
Brandt's Cormorant - P
Pelagic cormorant - P
Great blue Heron - P/R
Black Scoter - P
White Winged Scoter - P/R
Surf Scoter - P/R
Harlequin Duck - P/R
Clangula hyemalis - P
Red Breasted Merganser - P/R
Black Turnstone - R
Sanderling - R
Heerman's Gull - P/R
Bonaparte gull - P
Mew Gull - P/R
Glaucus Winged Gull - P/R/PtH
Common murre - P/R
Pigeon Guillemot - P/R
Marbled Murrelet - R
Ancient Murrelet - P
Bald Eagle - P (mature pair)
Belted Kingfisher - R
Northwestern Crow - P/R/PtH
Starling - P/PtH

Mammals:
Harbor seal - P/R
Elephant Seal - P

Regards,
Peter B.

Port Townsend Marine Science Center
532 Battery Way
PortTownsend, WA 98368
(360) 385-5582
Fax: (360) 385-7248
mailto:ptmsc at olympus.net