Subject: [Tweeters] Yellow-billed Loon continues near Bremerton
Date: Nov 27 18:28:22 2006
From: Ruth and/or Patrick Sullivan - godwit513 at msn.com


Hello Tweets,

Today we spent a few hours birding in Kitsap Co. mainly to try and relocate the Yellow-billed Loon we reported 2 days ago from Sinclair Inlet near Bremerton. Late this morning at 11:30am we relocated the bird again from the same location we left it 2 days ago. The viewing location is described as approximately 1 mile north of the Kitsap Marina along S.R.166,which is just south of the main part of Port Orchard. From a pull-off along S.R.166 where a portable toilet exists you can walk down a short distance to a scoping area and scan the offshore waters of Sinclair Inlet as you look northwest towards the Naval Shipyard at Bremerton. The bird today during two occasions was viewed again far offshore and more towards the west side of Sinclair Inlet closest to the group of old naval ships along the shoreline. The bird swam back and forth occasionally,but never came further into the middle of the inlet. We tried very hard to get any photos of the bird,which we did obtain at a great distance that are of very poor quality. We have posted 3 of these low quality photos of the Yellow-billed Loon onto our website,which can be accessed at the following link: http://www.pbase.com/godwit/recent_photos/

The lighting is best all day from the Port Orchard side of Sinclair Inlet and NOT from the Bremerton side of Sinclair Inlet and you also have much more of a view of the inlet from the Port Orchard side too. At 1:30pm we observed the bird again from the pull-off along S.R.166,as it was much more active by diving for fish alot,but also became more settled and during this time we got our "best" of the best photos since the bird was slightly more in the middle of the inlet near a large buoy. We were very pleased to even see the bird again and it still seems very comfortable at the location and perhaps it may overwinter. If nothing else you can get very good scope views of the bird,but even with a 400mm or "digiscoping" would create a challenge for a good photo. The bird just seems most comfortable in the deeper waters in and around the Naval Shipyard! In ALL aspects a very good spotting scope is well recommended to view the Yellow-billed Loon due to the distance!


We also observed a single CLARK'S GREBE amongst a scattered flock of 35-40 Western Grebes due west from the pull-off along S.R.166 while watching the Yellow-billed Loon,as well as a single Eared Grebe too. We enjoyed a few additional hours birding from the Port Orchard waterfront to Yukon Harbor since the weather remained calm with no precipitation. Additional highlights during the day consisted of the following species:

Pacific Loon
6 birds along Beach Drive East just south of Rich Passage

Eurasian Wigeon
7 males amongst good numbers of Am.Wigeon at various locations along the Port Orcahrd waterfront along(with a single Eurasian/Am.Wigeon intergrade)

Harlequin Duck
3 birds along Beach Drive East south of Rich Passage

Greater Yellowlegs
2 birds at the Gorst Estuary

Black Turnstone
18 birds along the Port Orchard waterfront

Sanderling
135+ birds(with 75+ Dunlin)at the south end of Yukon Harbor

Thayer's Gull
8 birds(with 1 Herring Gull and many California Gulls)at the south end of Yukon Harbor

Anna's Hummingbird
1 bird flying north over the east end of the Narrows Bridge along Hwy.16,Pierce Co.(first bird of the day)



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Fircrest,WA
godwit513 at msn.com