Good morning, all.

Yesterday I took a 3-hour birding trip on the Viking Star out of La Conner. (I have no financial interest in Viking Cruises and don't personally know anyone who does, but...)

This was a well-run trip and well worth the $30 for 3 hours (11am to 2pm). Bob, the captain, was super at spotting birds and manuevering appropriately so that everyone could see them--both those of us out on the bow, and those who preferred staying warm inside the cabin. We went out on a high but still incoming tide, came back through the narrow and scenic Canoe Pass at Deception Pass at slack tide, and arrived back in La Conner on a falling tide.

There were no rarities but lots of expectable birds for the season; the treat was seeing birds that I've seen before only in southern California, mostly in winter plumage -- but now they were in bright spring/breeding plumage, some ready to move north and others about to start breeding locally.

I got good looks at a breeding-plumage Red-necked Grebe, a few handsome Horned Grebes, and Pacific Loons (Common Loons also, tho I've seen them closely on breeding territory in northern Maine). Pelagic Cormorants were showing white breeding patches on the rump, and we got blow-away close views of Brandt's Cormorants with the white facial plumes & bright blue gular patches.

There were many Bald Eagles (and a great view of an enormous old nest on Whidbey Island), lots of Western Grebes (I counted 127 in one raft), Rhino Auklets & Pigeon Guillemots, and lots of ducks of various species (Common & Red-breasted Mergansers, Pintails, Buffleheads, etc.). Out in Rosario Strait, there were a few Harlequin Ducks. In all (counting Rock Pigeons at the dock), I tallied 32 species for the trip. Scenery alone was worth it & we had beautiful weather yesterday!

Plus, as a bonus, there were thousands of Snow Geese along Fir Island Road west of Conway (I looked carefully but couldn't find a Ross' ... interesting comparison with New Mexico (Bosque del Apache NWR), where almost any flock of SNGOs will include a few ROGOs). I recall much the same sort of thing (mixed SNGO/ROGO flocks) at the Salton Sea in California. It seems that most reports of ROGOs on Tweeters are of birds on their own. Do the two species segregate in more northerly areas and only mix when they're farther south? Or am I suffering from sampling error?

David White
mailto:drmwhite at nets.com
Santa Fe NM (temporarily in Mountlake Terrace WA)

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