Tweeters:
The Port Townsend Marine Science Center's 11/4 cruise to Protection Island
did NOT venture out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca due to the 20-30 knot
winds which were still gusting at time of departure.
We wound up taking an alternate trip & had one of our best birding days ever
for both variety of species & pure numbers. We actually may schedule this
route as one of our spring tours.
The route was across Port Townsend Bay, through "the cut" between Oak Bay &
Indian Island, south into Mats Mats Bay, returning along the shoreline of
Marrowstone Island, back through "the cut" & in to Kilisut Harbor before
returning to Point Hudson.
We added two sightings which we hadn't recorded on these cruises heretofore:
Pied-billed Grebe
Sharp-shinned hawk (male)

Remaining Protection Island cruises are scheduled for Saturday, November
25th & Sunday, December 31st. Both 3 hour trips leave at 1 PM & can be
booked by emailing the PTMSC or calling 360-385-5582.

Key for 11/4/2000 cruise:
MM - Mats Mats Bay
OB - Oak Bay area
R - Rat Island
PTB - Port Townsend Bay
PtH - Point Hudson

Common loon - OB/MM/R
Red Throated loon - MM
Western Grebe - OB
Red necked grebe - all
Horned grebe - MM
Pied-billed grebe - MM
Double crested cormorant - all
Brandt's cormorant - PTB
Pelagic cormorant - all
Great Blue heron - MM (a score roosting in Douglas firs), OB
White winged scoter - PTB/OB
Surf Scoter - OB/PTB
Harlequin duck - PTB/R
Oldsquaw - PtH
Bufflehead - MM/OB
Red breasted merganser - OB/R
Hooded Merganser - MM
Black oystercatcher - OB
Black bellied plover - R
Black Turnstone - OB/R
Surfbird - R
Sanderling - PTB
Bonaparte gull - MM
Mew gull - all
Glaucus winged gull - all
Common murre - OB/PTB
Pigeon guillemot - all
Rhinoceros auklet - R/OB
Bald Eagle - R/OB
Sharp-shinned hawk - MM
Rock Dove - PtH
Northwestern Crow - OB/MM
Starling - PtH

Mammals:
California Sea Lion - lounging on the Mats Mats buoy
Harbor seals - R