Subject: [Tweeters] Brown Booby - Relocated TODAY- 7/12/05
Date: Jul 12 19:25:19 2005
From: Houston Flores - houstonflores at hotmail.com


Hello again,

I went out to Squalicum Beach in Bellingham this afternoon with hopes of
possibly finding the roosting location of the Brown Booby I have seen for
the last three days on Bellingham Bay. There are large numbers of
Double-crested Cormorants that roost on the structures at the beach so I was
hoping that perhaps the booby would be found mixed in with them. Well, the
booby was not roosting with the cormorants, but at around 5:30 I did spot it
out in the bay, being harrassed by a Glaucous-winged Gull. Again, the bird
was quite a ways out and when it would fly low it would disappear into the
heat waves coming off of the bay. The lighting was good enough though and I
was able to make out its pale face and bill, which I believe confirms this
as an adult Brown Booby (female probably). Again it was actively
foraging/diving.

>From my perspective on the beach, the bird was in front of Portage Island,
and probably just a little past halfway across the bay. And taking into
account my past few evening sightings the bird appears to be using the same
area for foraging. If you draw a line from Marine Park across the bay to
the western side of the river delta, and draw a line from Squalicum Beach to
Portage Island, where these lines intersect is where I have been seeing this
bird.

It is beginning to look like a boat will almost be necessary to get good
looks and/or documentation.

If you are searching from land though, I think at the very least a scope is
necessary. Not to mention a little bit of luck. Things are looking good
though that it may stick around for a little while. Who knows how long its
been out there.

Anyone have a boat?

Houston Flores
Bellingham, Wa
houstonflores AT hotmail.com