Subject: Olympic peninsula
Date: Dec 3 03:50:08 2001
From: Constance J. Sidles - csidles at mail.isomedia.com


Hey tweets, whoever named the Port Angeles-Lincoln Park EMPEROR GOOSE
"Stumpy" was inspired. He really does stump along on his partial leg. Yes,
Stumpy is still on the pond at Lincoln Park, and well worth going to see.
Yesterday he was in the company of three (*) male EURASIAN WIGEONS. Stumpy
looks very prosperous and seems to get along fine, although he does have a
tendency to proceed in almost a half-circle as he swims. I would laugh,
except I know the feeling - I'm beginning to do the same, as an old
basketball injury seems to get more aggravated as time goes on. But like
Stumpy, we aging birders make the best of it and just keep swimming,
perhaps not as symmetrically, maybe not as straight. But by golly, we get
there.

We also spotted what appeared to be an ARCTIC LOON out near the marina on
the Makah Reservation. Unfortunately, the chop was bad and the bird was
working hard, so I can't be absolutely sure. But the bird certainly did
show a lot of white along its "float-line" and up toward its rump. I'm not
recommending that anyone from Seattle chase this bird, but if there are any
tweeters who live near the res, they should check it out. - Connie, Seattle

csidles at mail.isomedia.com