Subject: Cape Flattery observation
Date: Jul 26 11:22:23 2001
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at ups.edu


Here is a report of a very unlikely bird, yet the description sounds like
it. This is one of the reasons why bird record committees tend to rely on,
and insist on, documentation at least as objective as a photograph. The
description is persuasive but the occurrence so unlikely that I suspect
this report will have a difficult time making it through judgment by a
committee. But I'm forwarding it as requested by the observer.

Parenthetically, Whiskered Auklets spend most of their time at sea, are
very small, and are very hard to see and identify at a distance, so it's
not total fantasy to think they might be found breeding in areas beyond
their known range in North America (the Aleutian Islands).

>Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 11:08:02 -0500
>From: "Alan Godwin" <agodwin at kumc.edu>
>To: <dpaulson at ups.edu>
>Cc: <mgearheart at gwhm.com>
>Subject: Cape Flattery
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by mail.ups.edu id
>f6QG8Lt12492
>Status:
>
>Dear Dennis Paulson:
>
>I have tried several of the birdline numbers, but I found them all
>discontinued. In addition, I called Stu MacRobbie about this, but I
>would like wider coverage. Hence, could you post this to tweeters for me?
>
>I just completed a visit to your beautiful state. While birding last
>Monday night between 7:15 and 7:45 p.m.at Cape Flattery (at the cape
>overlook to Tatoosh island), I noticed 2 (or perhaps 3) unusual auklets.
>They were smaller than the Rhinoceros auklets and Tufted puffins they were
>swimming with. The were uniformly dark, except for a white rump. Most
>interesting was a small red bill and a least 3 white tufts on each side of
>the bill. These tufts were wet, so they formed a beard of white around
>the bill. These birds dove for long periods or were easily missed as they
>often surfaced at a distance. I saw at least 2 individuals at once. They
>were directly under the overlook, so I am confident of the tufts and red
>bill. The only bird I could match them to was Whiskered Auklet, although
>I realize this is unlikely. If anyone else spots these birds and confirms
>the identification or identifies them as something else, please contact me
>at agodwin at kumc.edu.
>
>Thank you
>
>Alan Godwin


Dennis Paulson, Director phone 253-879-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 253-879-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html