I spent some time on the Oregon coast this past week and kept seeing a flock of birds I can't ID. I should first say that my sea/shorebird skills are severely lacking but I've been through all of my books with no luck. Directly in front of Depoe Bay, each morning, flocks of 30 to 50 or more birds would fly north. One after the other, every 20 or 30 seconds, another one went by. Just above the water, dark back, bright white underbelly, black head all the way around throat like a Common Murre but very short, quick wing beats, they flew fast and furiously in loose V formation, twisting and turning enough to see the bright white belly. Size was hard for me to guess - much smaller than than the Brown Pelicans and gulls. I know I'm lacking all the important details and I apologize, they flew too fast and were too far without proper binos, but any guesses would be appreciated.

Dayna Yalowicki
Bothell, Wa
Dlwicki at frontier.com

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