Hi Ryan,

What make/model of camera did you use to take the pictures of the booby?

I've recently started using a Canon S2 as an aid to bird
identification. It works reasonably well but can have trouble with
focusing especially in low light. It also has general noise problems
in low light. Even with the limitations, it is a great tool. I'm just
trying to figure out whether a different camera would give me
significantly better performance.

Thanks,

Mark Wensnahan
Ballard/Seattle

At 8/6/2006, Ryan Merrill wrote:
>This afternoon on Samish Island in Skagit County I watched a
>BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY flying in circles with a few hundred gulls for
>about 40 minutes near the park on Wharf Road. About 3:40 it flew
>south/southwest over Padilla Bay toward March
>Point before I lost it in the haze. The gull flock it was with
>appeared to have relocated in that direction and was flocking
>between Guemes and Saddlebag Islands. I would guess that the booby
>joined the gulls there again and could certainly remain with that
>flock. Hopefully it can be relocated in the upcoming days. The one
>previous Washington record was near Everett in September 1935.
>
>The few pictures I got are online. There is a red mark on the belly
>that I'm not sure what to make of. It appears that it could be red paint.
>
><http://www2.bc.edu/~merrillr/BFBO/bfbo.htm>http://www2.bc.edu/~merrillr/BFBO/bfbo.htm
>
>
>Earlier in the day I flushed an adult Black-crowned Night-Heron at
>the Skagit Game Range and saw a Semipalmated Sandpiper from Channel Drive.
>
>Good luck!
>
>Ryan Merrill
>Kirkland, WA
>_______________________________________________
>Tweeters mailing list
>Tweeters at u.washington.edu
>http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters