Hello all,

I'm planning a visit to your state in August, and I have a ton of questions. I have a copy of "A Guide to Bird Finding in Washington", so I have a general understanding of some of the better places in the state for birds, but many questions remain. My main question now regards photographic opportunties for several species, including:

- cormorants (Brandt's and pelagic)
- ducks (especially harlequin duck and scoters)
- shorebirds (especially black oystercatcher)
- common murre, pigeon guillemot, rhino auklet, tufted puffin
- Calliope hummer (are they still around in mid-to-late August?)
- anything else!

Are there any seabird colonies that a person could visit, or somehow obtain access to? If so, would August be too late for a visit? If I can't get a pass or permit to visit any of them, where would I stand the best chance of getting near some of the seabirds listed above? If there aren't any accessible colonies in Washington, how about Oregon or B.C.? Finally, are there any particularly noteworthy photo opportunities for birds I haven't listed here?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Even if you don't think of yourself as an "expert", you certainly know more about Washington birds than I do, since I've never been to your state! I will have many more questions to follow, because I didn't want to inundate everybody with a zillion questions all at once. Thanks in advance...

John Clem
Vermillion, SD
mail to: johndavidclem at yahoo.com




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