Burt:

The Port Angeles-to-Victoria run picks up in fall and winter, even by August
I would expect it to pick up a little with port-breeding birds coming in.
But as Wayne advises, the best time is after a westerly blow, which provides
some chance for offshore species.

I run a CBC each December off the Coho, and although species diversity has
been low (in the 30s), rarities have occurred. Highlights include single
(Kumlien's) Iceland Gull (2001), a Slaty-backed Gull following the boat
(2000), and a Horned Puffin off Ediz Hook (2000). I usually get a fulmar
somewhere out in the middle, but last year there were 10, and it was also a
big flight year for Red Phalarope, with 75, thanks to a big storm the night
prior.

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com


>From: "Guttman, Burt" <GuttmanB at evergreen.edu>
>Reply-To: GuttmanB at evergreen.edu
>To: Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
>Subject: (Not) Birding on ferries
>Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 21:30:57 -0700
>
>Several people have mentioned success in birding on some of our ferries as
>they cross Puget Sound to various destinations, and I've certainly seen a
>number of interesting birds, such as alcids, on ferry trips, as well as the
>ubiquitous gulls. So I've assumed that ferry trips would generally be
>rewarding in a birdy way. But we recently did the trip from Port Angeles
>over to Victoria, returning later in the day--we had done the same trip a
>couple of years ago--and was surprised and disappointed to see virtually
>nothing from the ferry, except a few gulls at the harbors at the ends of
>the
>ride. And I had essentially the same experience last summer when we took a
>ferry from Denmark (Gedser) down to Germany (Rostock), crossing the Baltic
>Sea. I saw some interesting gulls around the ports, but in
>between--nothing! Now, I've been on pelagic birding trips and have
>observed
>marine birds both flying and on the water from boats that were bouncing
>around a whole lot more than any ferry does. We also took an Alaska trip a
>few years ago during which we spent a week in coastal waters from a very
>small cruise ship, and I saw quite a few birds then. I kept expecting, on
>these ferry trips, to at least see birds flying away as the ferry
>approached, but I saw nothing. Does anyone have comments or explanations
>for the differences? Has anyone had the same experience?
>
>Burt Guttman guttmanb at evergreen.edu
>The Evergreen State College
>Olympia, WA 98505 360-456-8447
>Home: 7334 Holmes Island Road S.E., Olympia 98503
>

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