On Tuesday, February 22, nine of us headed out in rainy weather for Port
Townsend, Port Gamble and Fort Worden. The trip leader was Darryl Thompson
from Pilchuck Audubon Society. The weather cleared as we got closer to our
destination. The highlight of our trip was watching approximately 250
PACIFIC and COMMON LOONS in continuous flight heading west from Fort Worden.
It was really a fantastic sight.

Birds seen/heard:

Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
American wigeon
Mallard (we saw one duck hanging out with the mallards that had a lot but not
all of the characteristics of the American Black Duck. Sure had a beautiful
feather pattern on the body)
Northern Pintail
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Oldsquaw (Pt Gamble)
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Osprey (2 at Pt Gamble)
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Virginia Rail (heard only)
American Coot
Killdeer
Black Turnstone (Shine Park)
Mew Gull
Herring Gull
Western Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Ancient Murrelet
Rock Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Steller's Jay
American Crow
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Purple Finch (you should have been with us Joyce)
House Finch
Pine Siskin
House Sparrow

Total Species: 60

(*v*)Donna Ferrill
nightwings406 at aol.com
Mukilteo/Cle Elum, WA