Subject: re. Whiskered Auklet report from Cape Flattery
Date: Jul 28 16:51:12 2001
From: Eugene Hunn - enhunn at Home.com


The description seems less than convincing to me.

"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've never seen Whiskered Auklets but have seen Crested and Parakeets and
the notion that the plumes might "get wet" and droop down like a beard just
doesn't make sense. The birds are always wet! and the plumes don't droop.
Besides the central up-curving plumes of Whiskered and Crested Auklets are
blackish. It sounds to me more like the observer was describing Rhinos with
silvery fish in their beaks.

Gene Hunn
enhunn at home.com