Yes, winter. It really did come a month early this year. I'm used to
enjoying the antics of a variety of autumn dragonflies on sunny
afternoons in mid October, but not this year. Here it is October
20th, and I'm standing on the fishing pier in Edmonds freezing to
death with 20-knot winds whipping from the south and whitecaps
covering the sound. I spent 11:00-11:30 at Edmonds, until I feared
hypothermia. I was only wearing my winter down parka, heavy gloves,
and a wool hat, and it wasn't enough. Obviously I need to get out the
long underwear and rain/wind pants again.

Like Gene, I looked in vain for shearwaters or storm-petrels or
phalaropes or other exciting oceanic species.

But I was impressed by the gull flight. During that period, around
120 gulls flew past me, all heading south down the sound, seemingly a
clear-cut migration, unless gulls just like to fly into strong winds.
Not a single one, nor any other bird was heading north, except for a
few Double-crested Cormorants that came in from the south to land on
the pilings near the ferry landing.

Here is an approximation of the gull numbers:

Bonaparte's - 1 (adult)
Heermann's - 40 (adults)
Mew - 35 (adults except for few second winter)
California - 10 (all ages but mostly adults)
Glaucous-winged - 35 (all ages but mostly adults)

The Heermann's were noteworthy in that almost all of them were very
low, not far above the water, while most of the other gulls flew at
eye level or much higher. The Heermann's all stayed over the water,
while many of the others came over the pier, even between me and the
shore. Also, the Heermann's tended to come in little groups, the
other gulls independently (Heermann's are definitely groupies). I
think of Heermann's as not so common in south Puget Sound, yet these
birds are heading down there in numbers. The age-old question is what
all these southbound migrants do when they get to the end of the sound?

Meanwhile, other southbound birds included:

1 Brandt's Cormorant
10 Double-crested Cormorants
25 Cackling Geese (minima), low over the sound; at a distance, I was
sure they were going to be Brant
1 male Harlequin Duck, rarely seen by me at Edmonds
6 White-winged Scoters
8 Surf Scoters

Birds on the water:

2 Red-necked Grebes
8 Western Grebes
10 Surf Scoters
1 Pigeon Guillemot

Not a bad half-hour's birding. That fishing pier is a great place
from which to watch seabirds.
-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net



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