I was out on the Nisqually reach Monday, December 9, mainly looking for chum
salmon but keeping an eye out for murrelets as well. No luck with the
murrelets (or salmon either.) I ran from Beachcrest on the far western end
of the delta up to the southern end of Ketron Island and back. I made a
point of checking the rips at both Lyle Point on Anderson Island and at
Ketron. Plenty of murres and Rhinoceros Auklets, and lots of guillemots
near shore. There was a heavy movement of Bonaparte's Gulls moving south
towards the delta - hundreds of birds passed within a matter of minutes.
Other notable sightings: A female Long-tailed Duck off Beachcrest; two
Eared Grebes along the Dupont shore, and one at Beachcrest; and two male
Eurasian's in with the many hundreds of widgeons at Beachcrest.


Eric Kraig
Olympia, WA
kraige at oclc.org