Hello,

I'll be in the Pacific Northwest next week for a week, and I would like to
show a North Carolina friend alcids and other salt water species that we
can't find back here. What places should we visit, what ferry rides would
be best to take, etc?

I used to bird in the Northwest years ago (with people like Violet Cannon,
Emily Hague and Zella Shultz) and I remember how easy it was to see alcids,
scoters, grebes and other birds. But in reading Wahl, Tweit and Mlodinow's
Birds of Washington I was shocked at how some of these bird populations have
been decimated since the 1960s.

So if someone could give me a few suggestions for good places to visit (in
Washington or BC) I'd appreciate it. If I let 50 year old memories guide my
itinerary, I no doubt will be even sadder than I am now after reading about
the population declines.

Thanks,

Craig Lawrence