Tweets,

Yesterday, Alex and Brien Meilleur, Eugene Hunn and George Gerdts joined me
on a little boat excursion from Bainbridge Island to Jefferson Head. It was
a great morning for a boat trip as the winds were calm. The highlight bird
was a lone Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel observed up in the waters east of Jeff
Head zig-zaging between Kitsap County & King County (to the benefit of the
county listers on-board). We encountered very little bird activity in our
trip north up the center of the Sound until we reached the area near Jeff
Head. Here we found rafts of Common Murres (1,000+) along with an assortment
of gulls and other waterbirds. A Pacific Loon in full breeding plumage,
Red-necked Phalaropes (80), and one Parasitic Jaeger were other highlights
in the area.

Last year we had a Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel observed off of Restoration
Point on Bainbridge Island in the first week of October. It looks like it is
worth the effort to scan the waters of Puget Sound this time of year.

We spent the afternoon hours at the north end of the Kitsap Peninsula. We
did not see Sabine's Gull or American Golden-Plover. The large concentration
of bonies have appeared to move further east closer to Whidbey Island and
the Sabine's Gulls could still be amongst them. The Golden-Plover appears to
have moved on to Nisqually (just a guess!).

Brien found two Scrub Jays while we were at the Foulweather Bluff Nature
Preserve. Perhaps wandering birds as I have not heard of any breeding pairs
in this part of Kitsap County. There are some resident, breeding Scrub Jays
in Bremerton.


Brad Waggoner
Bainbridge Island, WA
mailto:wagtail at sounddsl.com