Subject: Birding by kayak (long)
Date: Sep 7 12:25:13 1999
From: M. Wagenbach - wagen at u.washington.edu




Hi! I'm delurking after about a month of reading the digests on the Web
page.

I'm a lab researcher in the UW med. center, an avid kayaker and a novice
birder.

Last weekend I paddled with the University Kayak Club from Makah Bay to
Point of the Arches and back on Saturday (about 6 miles each way). In
addition to a smallish gray whale (40 feet long?) seen about 15 minutes
into the trip, we enjoyed seeing about 10 tufted puffins, a couple of
dozen each common murres, including some juveniles (new to me), and
rhinocerous auklets, and a few brown pelicans, all at 10-30 yards range.
We poked our boats into several gently surging sea caves, most of which
were devoid even of mussels and barnacles due to the explosive action of
the winter storm surf, but to our surprise one contained about a dozen
cormorants clinging to the bare walls, who exited before we could
determine the species, leaving only a fetid odor.

Below is appended a report of a solo trip I did 8/15, originally sent to a
kayaking list. Please excuse the considerable kayak-specific content. I
left this in for two reasons: (1) I was too lazy to retype the report. (2)
While I am a proponent of kayaking for naked-eye seabird watching, I want
to point out that the inland waters are not to be taken lightly. Novices
need not go 23 miles to get into trouble! Don't try this without
experienced advice.

I have a little doubt about the ID of the petrel mentioned below.
Nothing else in my field guides looks even close. I have seen this bird
once before, I think (last April near Protection Island), but never in the
company of anyone with more experience than myself. The only photo I
have, in Stokes, is incredibly grainy. I wish I'd thought to pull the
dispo camera out of my PFD pocket! The drawings in another field guide
make the nose-tubes look very prominent. I noted only that the beak was
black and fairly narrow. It didn't occur to me to look for tubes, and
nothing was obvious enough for me to notice. The feature I remember most
clearly is a white patch on the rear flank, just behind the folded wing
and just above the waterline. Other characteristics: gray head, gray
back, darker gray wing, black (?) eye. Sorry, but memory of unfamiliar
birds seen three weeks ago is not my greatest strength, and I haven't
figured out a way to make notes while kayaking in the rain. Gotta get a
Pentax WR105!

Oh, if anyone has a strong recommendation of thoroughly waterproof 7-8x
optics, I'd like to hear it. I'm currently leaning toward an 8X monocular
I saw at Captain's Nautical Supply, for reasons of space and weight.

Mike Wagenbach
wagen at u.washington.edu
Seattle WA

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1999 16:12:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: M. Wagenbach <wagen at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Solo trip report (long)


Solo trip report Anacortes to Friday Harbor, 8.15.99

Forecast weather: S winds 10 knots rising to 15 knots
in the afternoon. Rain turning to showers.
Actual weather: Smith Island station showed winds about
8 knots to 13 knots, gusts only a few knots more.
Intermittant light to moderate rain. Visability 5 to15 miles.

Rosario Strait currents
Slack 0823
Peak ebb 1217 2.1 knots

Cattle Pass currents
Slack 1430
Peak flood 1740 2.9 knots

Left bike at ferry port, put in at Washington Park
(better beach and avoids parking fee). Elected to try Greenland paddle
for the first time on serious water. Spare Euro paddle accessable on rear
deck, VHF tucked inside PFD and tethered in case I lost the boat.

On the water at 1050, a little late but not an issue. Ferried across
current out of Bellingham Channel, keeping course just north of bouy at
Belle Rock, correction angle about 25 degrees. Visability north in
Rosario Strait a bit marginal due to rain, so checked often that way and
back into Bellingham channel for big, fast traffic. No large ships seen
today. After I was well over on the west side, saw a barge piled so high
with containers that it looked a bit like a Borg cube.

An extensive rip area (about 1/4 mile square?) south of bouy could be
fairly easily avoided, but not a big deal with such light wind, so I went
through. The east edge of this rip is close to or in the traffic lane, so
skirting it on that side would be less desireable. Common murres and
rhinocerous aluklets seen in edges of rip. Exited rip area toward Bird
Rocks. Larger birds, probably gulls and cormorants, sitting on rock, but
did not approach closely. Headed for Cape Saint Mary, only a small
correction angle neaded to close the shore. No significant hydraulics
noticed around or west of Bird Rocks. If there is a rip off Lopez Pass, I
could not see if from my course (about 2 miles off shore). From here,
Shoal Bight beach looks as much like an open passage as Lopez Pass does.

A stronger rip over Kellet Ledge was visable soon after passing Bird
Rocks. Offshore from the bouy, the rip is visably stronger. Just inshore
of the bouy the water was calm around the charted kelp patch. Went stern
first into the lesser rip inshore of the kelp, tried to surf but couldn't
get a steady ride, just kept paddling up out of the waves. Waves maybe
1.5 feet. Didn't notice if rip extended up to shore. A couple hundred
yards south, another small rip, like the last only a few boat-lengths
deep. Could easily be avoided around either side. Again couldn't get any
solid rides on waves. Saw a few each Marbled Murrelets and Fork-Tailed
Storm Petrels around these rips. Left this area at 1220. Worked on the
sliding stroke some more. Awkward. A crowd of gulls seen enroute to
Watmough Head; could only identify 3 Herrman's gulls.

Not much in the way of rough water near the SE corner of Lopez, some rips
seen a bit offshore. Saw a huge blue heron flying over the island.
Drifted past Castle Island, finally remembering to munch a Clif Bar and a
banana. Count of rhinocerous auklets shot from about 12 to nearly 30 in a
few minutes. One splashing/flapping weirdly along just on and above the
surface for several yards, maybe being pursued by a wake. A seal under
there? A whalewatching boat went by going back into Rosario--guess there
won't any orcas ahead. Leisurely paddle across the south Lopez bays.
Tied a kelp frond into the deck bungies to stop behind the little island
at the edge of Aleck bay, had a cup of tea from the number 1 thermos.
Luxury, in the comfort (silence, knees) of one's personal yacht.
Gloves now coated in kelp slime, so it's a good thing I used that bare
wooden paddle. Sliding stroke starting to feel a little less awkward.
Poked though a couple rafts of kelp on the way to Iceberg Point. The
Greenland stick may be an advantage in kelp: no shoulder on the blade for
the fronds to snag on. Landed at Agate Beach park, nothing there but a
couple of picnic tables. Skulked into the bushes to pee. Skipped a few
rocks, hopped back into the boat and poured another cup of tea.

Wow! 1440 already! Doubtful that I'll make the 1645 ferry. Hurried off
toward Cattle Pass. Despite the bad reputation of this area, there's
nothing to see here except a few weak eddylines and boils, and a bunch
more alcids, including an immature puffin, I think. Big tides here hit 5
knots, so today is pretty small potatos.

Now a long leg just chugging along heading 310 magnetic toward Turn
Island, humming and watching the clock tick by. Looks like I'll get to
the port about the time the ferry leaves. Passed just by a few gulls,
murres and auklets working a herring ball, presumably. A tour group,
probably, mostly in doubles, just south of Turn. I'd like to go chat, but
there's still a dim hope of making the ferry.

Pulled into the Harbor at 1640, no ferry! It comes in from the other side
of the little harbor island as I'm heading for the marina. They're
farther behind schedule than I am! A bit tired by this point, though. I
took out on the dock just NW of the ferry port, barely managed to carry
the boat to the base of the dock. Actually, I dragged it part of the way
on the wet wood dock. Only one thermos next time, or some wheels!!
Luckily, some tourist offered to carry the bow onto the ferry with me,
before I dropped the boat or hurt my back.

Total: 23 nm 6:00 (minus breaks and surfing the wrong way, about 5 hours
paddling forward)

Aftereffects: Sore calf--need more thigh support in seat. Slight weird
sensation in tendons of right forearm--probably need to reshape paddle to
make grip more natural. It doesn't take much to get me overgripping with
my right hand.

---

Mike Wagenbach