Hi Tweeters,

Yesterday afternoon was primarily a short paddling trip from the beach at
Shine Tidelands State Park (DeLorme 78, A 3-4) around Hood Head so I just
had some compact binocs with me. For those who don't know it, Hood Head is
just north of the Hood Canal Bridge on the west side of the Canal. It is
not a true island. To round it you have to portage across a beach. Leaving
our putin we paddled straight to Point Hannon, the spit on Hood Head that
projects into Hood Canal. There is a great twist of tree limbs on the Point
that looks like a sea serpent. An artistic hand has helped the image along
by fashioning a jaw and teeth out of beach sticks and others have ornamented
the creature with shells. I wanted my nephew to see it.

We saw RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, four KINGFISHERS, two MARBLED MURRELETS, a
number of PIGEON GUILLEMOTS, 25-30 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS off the tip of Point
Hannon, and an occupied OSPREY NEST atop a dead tree on the Jefferson County
shore after we had portaged the beach back into Bywater Bay. One adult was
on the nest and the other was flying over Hood Head.

Carol Riddell
Edmonds