HI ALL:
I got a call from Brad Waggoner around 2:30pm and he reported seeing
what he thought were fulmars in the sound off of Bainbridge. He was about
to take his boat out to get a closer look and wondered if I wanted to come
along. I met him at the boat launch 15 minutes later! As we headed towards
Skiff Point on Bainbridge (Opposite Discovery Park in Seattle) we found a
dead fulmar floating in the water. Then we spotted a couple fulmars and
then a few more. Most were dark morphs but 3 or 4 were light morphs. Then
I spotted a phalarope which turned out to be a RED PHALAROPE in basic
plumage (and a Lifer for me!). We then found a group of about 30 fulmars
feeding on a fish carcass. Some of the fulmars would swim up to the boat
looking for a handout! Brad managed to video the whole thing! We ended up
with about 80 birds total! It was weird seeing the Space Needle and
fulmars at the same time. We also had a Parasitic Jaeger, a Western Gull
and the usual alcids (no Ancient Murrelets though!). We checked Blakely
Rocks for a Rock Sandpiper that was seen at Restoration Point earlier in
the month but no luck but we did have about 100 Brandt's Cormorants there.
We checked Western Grebe flocks for Clark's but could only find one
intermediate type. Earlier in the day Brad had a flock of 18 Tundra Swans
flying over Restoration Point calling as they flew. The Fulmars and swans
are new to the island list. If you want to see the fulmars FROM SHORE try
scoping out the KELP BEDS near Discovery Park (Seattle) or Rolling Bay
(Bainbridge Island). It was in the kelp beds that most of the fulmars
were seen.

--
Ian Paulsen
Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
A.K.A.: "Birdbooker"
"Rallidae all the way!"