Hello, tweets.

Netta Smith and I found at least 150 Black Turnstones (counted 120,
many hidden behind pilings) roosting on pilings at Point Hudson, Port
Townsend, yesterday (12/6). I think this is an outstanding number for
the entrance to Puget Sound. We did not see the Rock Sandpipers
reported by the Black Hills Audubon group later in the morning, but
they could easily have been hidden among the hordes of turnstones.

We arrived at Point Wilson after the other group had left and saw
pretty much the same birds, including the female Long-tailed Duck
that continued to feed right off the point. Flock after flock of
Ancient Murrelets floated and flew past the point, all well offshore.
Marbled Murrelets were often closer, but a scope was essential really
to appreciate the murrelets. We counted about 30 Marbled Murrelets
spread out but presumably feeding on a massive school of small
herring off the beach at the end of the road to Hansville. A flock of
over 200 Bonaparte's Gulls and many other birds were there, and it
was great to watch the Bonaparte's flying rapidly just above the
water and then diving down and coming up with a fish. Their success
rate was well over 50%, much better than the accompanying Mew and
Glaucous-winged Gulls. Alas, no Yellow-billed Loon at either place
where they have been recorded recently. It was quite a spectacle,
with hundreds of tiny fish breaking the water surface, shining in the
sun along with the murrelets and gulls.
-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20081207/cdff3204/attachment.htm