Hi Ho Tweets

A group from Seattle Audubon took a trip today to the Port Angeles and Sequim areas. We enjoyed a day that while overcast was rainless and wind free. We started out going straight up to Port Angeles. The reported Glaucous Gull did not put in an appearance near the marina, but we did have nice looks at Black Turnstone, Sanderling, lots of Dunlins and Black-bellied Plovers. Great looks at Harlequin Duck and Hooded Mergansers. Around the corner as we started out Ediz Hook we ran into a large congregation of more Harlequin Ducks, Surf Scoters, Bufflehead, Hooded Mergansers, with a few Pigeon Guillemots, Common Loons, Red-necked and Horned Grebes and all three cormorants. A couple of White-winged Scoters were also present. A group of gulls on the logs included Glaucous-winged, Mew, Ring-billed, Western and Thayer's.

Further down the hook, near the entrance to the Coast Guard station we got very nice looks at many Common Murres, more Pigeon Guillemots, Bufflehead, Rhinoceros Auklets, a couple of pairs of Marbled Murrelets and one strange murrelet. After about twenty minutes study the bird finally turned so that we could see the complete black nape and the white eye arcs - Long-billed Murrelet!

We stopped by the Kitchen Dick ponds and saw lots of Northern Shovelers, Mallards, American Wigeon, a few Hooded Mergansers, some Ring-necked Ducks, some American Coots and a couple of Wood Ducks. At Oyster House we had distant views of at least 10,000 American Wigeon with many other waterfowl scattered over the water. These included lots of Mallards, Red-breasted Mergansers, Red-necked Grebes, Common Loons, Double-crested Cormorants and scoters.

At Three Crabs the 1000 or so American Wigeon looked lost compared to the group around the corner, but it did include a couple of Eurasian Wigeon. Lots of Mallards. At other places along the way we had Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, a Cooper's Hawk, more alcids, mergansers, loons and ducks. A Black Oystercatcher was perched right on the top of the jetty at John Wayne Marina.

We had a wonderful day, with great looks at many birds and wound up with 72 species for the day.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville WA
bellasoc at isomedia.com