Tweeters,

The CRESTED AUKLET at Pedder Bay, about 15 miles west of Victoria, BC,
first discovered on September 5 and seen repeatedly since September
18, is still being seen frequently, although not every day. I was one
of a group of 4 birders from the Vancouver, BC area who were lucky
enough to see it yesterday, September 29.

The most practical way to see this bird-- which is what my friends and
I did-- is to rent a boat from the Pedder Bay Marina. We scoured the
shoreline for about 2 miles east and west from the marina from 10:30
AM onward before finally finding the auklet about 2:30 PM. The bird
was feeding in a kelp bed just south of Cape Calver, on the west side
of Pedder Bay, and generally less than 100 feet from shore. (A local
map or marine chart is essential.) The auklet surfaced several times
within 20 feet of us and allowed outstanding views in the afternoon
sunlight. Others believe that this bird may be in 2nd winter plumage.
The crest is quite conspicuous and the eye is almost white, but we
could see no trace of reddish on the
dusky-colored bill.

The bird was seen in apparently almost the same spot at 5:00 PM the
previous day. However, we did not see it when we scoured the Cape
Calver area in late morning, and two other boatloads of birders
apparently missed the auklet completely on the 29th.

The adjacent land (Rocky Point), although the site of a bird
observatory, is on a military reservation, and there is no access for
visiting birders. Renting a boat (or using your own, if you have one)
is the best way to find the bird. Caution should be exercised in this
area of rather strong tidal currents and occasionally strong winds.
Fog is also a possibility (it hung not far offshore during most of our
visit). In short, you should be an experienced boater with some
navigational ability if you plan to look for the auklet by boat.

Many thanks to Jukka Jantunen and Amelie Rousseau, who originally
discovered (and photographed) the CRESTED AUKLET on September 5, and
to David Allinson, who has provided several E-mail updates on the
auklet over the last 10 days. Updates can be obtained by phoning the
Victoria Rare Bird Alert at (250) 592-3381.

This is apparently only the second record of Crested Auklet for BC,
and the first in 110 years. (The other record was a bird founded dead
in 1892 or 1893). WOW!!

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net