. Here on Whidbey Island the story is one of a GENERAL decline in diving
birds whose diets include a heavy proportion of invertebrates while the fish
eaters are doing pretty well ( generally speaking).
* White-winged Scoters: We had a 16 year average of 1,100 birds. This year
we managed to see 65.
* Pigeon Guillemots had a terrible breeding season. "Aha!." you say," They
eat fish!". Well yes but......
* I've seen them deliver those long, blood red marine worms to their
burrows. Plus they capture gunnels, fish species that spend the fall through
spring hunkered down in the rocks. Might not these worms and fish be picking
up some toxin that is also affecting mussels and other scoter food?
* I've talked with the Feds and State folk who are banding and tracking the
scoters. They really don't have a handle yet on how scoters recruit to areas
in Puget Sound.
* So many questions!
Now to set the record straight: I got a big kick out of the post last week
that claimed I'd probably never eaten a Mallard. Oh, my...... Let's see:
I've had duck, goose, grouse, and ptarmigan. I've eaten snowshoe hare, Dall
Sheep, moose, bear, mt. goat. We had so much caribou sausage that I'm
surprised I don't grow a full set of double-shovel antlers every year! We
had all manner of fish ( I always tried to get invited elsewhere when Burbot
was on the menu!)
Never eaten wild game- what a hoot!!!!!!!
Steve Ellis
Coupeville, Wa
sellis at coup.wednet.edu