Hi Tweeters:
Hugh Jennings reported about a La Conner cruise on Saturday with Viking
Cruises, at www.vikingcruises.com. Our RAS and TAS group did the same
cruise the next day on Sunday, Feb 26, and I wanted to tell folks that it
was great and that the skipper, Bob Plank is an advanced birder. I'd even
call him an expert in the areas in which he goes. He and his wife Marci
live for this birding time of year. It doesn't hurt that Bob has eyes like
an eagle. Marci is a good birder too.
I had been reading Hugh Jennings reports to Tweeters about this 4-hr cruise
for many years. Because it was called a Nature Cruise I had hesitated to
lead a group on it, as I had bad experiences w/ so-called "birding boat
rides" in the past. I always remember a summer boat-ride I had taken into
the bay at Homer, Alaska few years ago. It had been recommended in ABA's
newsletter as a birding tour. The Captain may have been experienced at
being a skipper, but he was a poor birding leader. Even if he knew the
birds, he wasn't going to tell! In the end we birders managed to muddle
through some of the ID's. After that I was wary of any "Nature Cruises"
that were supposedly birding tours.
Also, the thought of leading a group on one of these tours was daunting. I
lead small local Audubon groups on land, but my water skills are nil. I
need not have worried. Our boat had 16 participants, and all of us had good
views of our target birds thanks to Bob and his wife Marci. Our group had a
great time.
On the way north to LaConner, 6 of us drove across Fir Island on Polson Rd.
We saw about 3,000 Snow Geese close to the road and flying, but missed the
Blue Goose that had been seen the day before. We also saw Trumpeter Swans.
We arrived at LaConner at 9:30 to sign up. The boat left the dock at
10:00am, and motored north through the Swinomish Channel. We were about to
take a large 30-mile tour which is a loop, starting north through Swinomish
Channel, going across Padilla Bay and around Anacortes, heading south
through the Strait and past various islands, and back in through Deception
Pass, to return to LaConner from the south. In the morning, as we headed
north in Swin. Channel, south of the hwy 20 bridge, we watched a perched
Rough-legged Hawk which hovered and flew. Up in Padilla Bay near March
Point, there were a few Long-tailed Ducks, and moderate numbers of Brant.
Bob told us the Gray-belly form of these geese are in with the Black Brant
in small numbers, but that they are hard to pick out. We didn't have time
to try to see any.
Luckily, our tour missed the bad weather on Sunday. The day was cloudy, but
pretty calm on the water. We had good views of Harlequin and Long-tailed
Ducks, and of mammals including River Otter, California Sea Lion, and Harbor
Seal. Later we saw at least 50 Black Oyster Catchers and had good views.
Our bird list was similar to Hugh Jenning's Saturday list (see La Conner
Cruise on Saturday, reported on Tweets Sun, 2-26-06). We saw one sight that
was wonderful. Mew Gulls were in various areas, and it is great watching
these small-size gulls do their bouyant flight. Out in Rosario Strait, a
group of about 30 of them approached close to the boat and literally walked
on the water. They were pattering across the water, and their feet barely
touched the water as they picked items from the surface. It was a graceful
dance that reminded me of feeding Phalaropes. Wow! I had never noticed
them doing that before. I think it was sight you might only notice while on
a boat. It was magic.
Because we were running a little late, we managed to go under the Deception
Pass Bridge at the end of the tide flow. Otherwise the trip through there
on a boat can be dangerous. That was a thrill for me, after looking down
from the bridge many times. The water there is a beautiful color of green.
South of there we saw more Long-tailed Ducks.
After the tour, we didn't continue to bird as Hugh's ELWAS group had done so
we missed the view of the Snowy Owls that they had seen from Fir Island at
the end of the day. As it was starting to drizzle, nine of us visited the
LaConner Seafood and Dining Restaurant on the waterfront and had great
chowder and other foods. We talked about the trip and the birds we had
seen, and all praised Bob and Marci's tour on the Viking Star. The ducks
and seabirds we had seen should continue to be seen through March. I'm
tempted to do the trip again, and try to see Gray-bellied Brant! Also,
maybe I can learn to ID flying birds better. You need that on a boat!
Yours, Carol Schulz
DesMoines, WA