Greetings All

Funny. I think one's perspective is partly based on where you've been.

I have been impressed by the number of WWScoters I've seen, with about 2500 between Birch Bay and Drayton Harbor alone a couple weeks ago. Surf Scoter numbers also seem up this winter.

On the other hand, I've found Western Grebe numbers to be low. Birding Whidbey, the 3000 evaded me, and I saw only a couple hundred. Some winters, I've tallied nearly 10,000 there. Similarly, my birding in Whatcom seemed to find few WEGR, and Dennis Duffy and I were discussing how few there were in Snoho County. RNGrebes, however, seem present in normal numbers, but loons low and alcids absent.

Of course, all this is impressionistic; to really know, one needs to compare some sort of regular surveys. The CBCs will, after all is totalled and told, tell us some of the "true" answer.

Cheers
SteveMlodinow