Hi all -
As Rob & Natalie mentioned in their post, we ran into each other out
at Pt.-No-Point yesterday [ne. end of Kitsap Peninsula, see C.Shultz
message for directions]. What they failed to mention was how they did
me a big ole favor on the way back:

I've been itching to do do some new area birding and have been w/o a
car for several weeks now - Yesterday, I decided I was going to Point
No Point, regardless of distance. The first part of the trip, from
Seattle to Kingston was easy enough: Bus-bus-Ferry. Once in Kingston,
I confirmed that public bus service doesn't run on weekends in
Kitsap. I also learned that taxis are not available there. So I
started walking. Although the sometimes narrow shoulder on the busy
road was less than peaceful, it did allow me to take the time in to
see lots of the 'regular' land birds in Kitsap instead of just
cruising to a coast spot.

Eventually, I made it to PNP & ran across Rob & Natalie while we
checked out the sound & the marsh. They went on to Foulweather Bluff
while I lingered for a little longer. Then I began the long haul back
to Kingston.
My legs quickly convinced me that I was not going to enjoy the walk
south as I had the walk north. So I put out my thumb and hoped for
some luck. And luck I had! After a bit, along cam Rob & Natalie, and
though they had only just met me a few hours before, they picked me
up & drove out of their way to drop me at the ferry dock. All in all,
it was a good refresher course in the generosity of the Birder Clan.
Thanks & welcome back, Rob & Natalie.

Bird notes: My list varied a little from the one posted earlier, not
it any really surprising ways though. The flocks of gulls seemed
closest as the tide was coming in, and then moved way out into the
Sound. If this is consistent [anybody?], I'd suggest timing your
gull-watching trips before high-tide. Once they moved way out there,
the likelihood of finding an oddity among the Bonys was pretty slim.

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA


Original Message:
Natalie and I enjoyed a happy return to birding today with a trip up
to Point No Point and Foulweather Bluff. While we didn't see a ton of
species, it simply felt good to be out watching birds rather than
sitting at home writing about them. And the bonus of running into
fellow birder Matt Bartels at Point No Point this afternoon was a
welcome addition to the day.

Here is a quick rundown of the species we noted in the cold weather
and during high tide this afternoon at each site:

Point No Point: (27 species seen)
- Common Loon
- Double-crested, Brandt's, and Pelagic Cormorants
- Great Blue Heron (8 hunting in the marshy area south of the point
and along the stream)
- Common Murre
- Common Goldeneye
- Dunlin (there may have been some Sanderling mixed in a small group
of peeps, but it was hard to tell from a great distance)
- A large flock of gulls was feeding along the rip tide line directly
north of the point when we arrived, mostly made up of BONAPARTE'S
GULLS
- Red-necked, Horned, and Western Grebe
- Common and Red-breasted Merganser
- Mallard
- Green-winged Teal
- Bufflehead
- Rhinocerous Auklet
- Golden-crowned, White-crowned, and Song Sparrows
- American Robin
- American Crow
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Bald Eagle

Foulweather Bluff: (18 species seen)
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Winter and Marsh Wren
- Mallard
- American Wigeon
- Northern Pintail
- Bufflehead
- Surf Scoter
- Common Murre
- Great Blue Heron
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Killdeer
- Western and Red-necked Grebe
- Common and Red-throated Loon
- American Crows joisting in mid-air and heading to their communal
roost for the night
- American Robin

Happy birding!

--
Rob McNair-Huff ---------- mailto:rob at whiterabbits.com
White Rabbit Publishing -- http://www.whiterabbits.com/
Mac Net Journal ---------- http://www.macnetjournal.com/
The Equinox Project ------ http://www.whiterabbits.com/weblog.html

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