Subject: [Tweeters] Manx Shearwater at Ruby Beach-4 September
Date: Sep 7 20:18:47 2011
From: Andy Stepniewski - steppie at nwinfo.net


Tweeters,



On a number of Westport pelagic trips I have been on, just beyond the
breakwater entrance, a Manx Shearwater or two has been spotted. Somehow, I
have always missed these fleeting views. Two weeks ago Ellen briefly noted a
Manx Shearwater on the August 20 Westport pelagic trip. Again, I missed this
bird, though I was by her side. I felt it was high time to rectify this
deficiency in my Washington list! Researching the Tweeters Archives, it was
evident Ruby Beach is getting to be on the radar as a good site to look for
this species from shore. We made plans to explore this spot six miles north
of Kalaloch in Olympic National Park. Among the various messages on
Tweeters mentioning Manx Shearwater, an excellent "paper" by Richard Rowlett
(Manx Shearwater.breeding in Washington?" Tweeters. June 30, 2008.)
especially caught my attention. On June 17 of that year, while part of a
two-week seabird survey, Richard observed a maximum of six Manx Shearwaters
off Destruction Island, an important seabird breeding island 3.5 miles west
of Ruby Beach. During the survey he made other observations of their
behavior that hinted of local breeding. Richard then suggests this
shearwater may have established a tiny breeding population on this island.
If so, this would appear to be the first proven breeding location for this
species in the Pacific Ocean.



It would be an understatement to say such a colony would be disjunct as the
species is only peripheral as a breeder away from the species' main breeding
grounds: islands off Scotland and Wales in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean with
one in Newfoundland. Evidently, small numbers of Manx Shearwaters rounded
Cape Horn, at the southern tip of South America and may be colonizing new
areas. Manx Shearwaters were first positively identified in south coastal
Alaska in 1975 and records have been accumulating over the past 35 or so
years from Alaska to California in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.



In the morning we scoped the waters immediately beyond the breakers and were
witness to a spectacular movement of Sooty Shearwaters passing by going
south, perhaps 100 birds per second. It didn't take long to spot a MANX
SHEARWATER, then another, then a third bird. We noted their blackish upper
parts, gleaming white under parts, including undertail coverts and that they
were smaller than Sooties, with snappier wing beats. I was pleased to catch
up with Ellen!



Amazingly, we stopped here the next morning and saw virtually no
shearwaters!



In addition to Ruby Beach itself, we found the waters offshore from the
unmarked overlook south from 4th Beach (would be "5th Beach") packed with
seabirds: scoters, loons, murres, auklets, and, of course, gulls. A
sprinkling of shorebirds foraged on the sandy beach. We had a beautiful
Tufted Puffin here among all the murres, just beyond the breakers, allowing
us great scope views.



Our experience at Ruby Beach proved very rewarding. Not only were there
plenty of birds but the coastal strip of Olympic National Park boasts
stunning scenery with its scattered rocky outcrops ("needles"), breakers
rolling in, and a combination of sandy and rocky shores. This seascape is
set in a scene with a beautiful backdrop: an impressive coastal forest of
Sitka Spruce (with a few gigantic Western Redcedars and other conifers). The
area is justly famed and attracts lots of visitors from afar. We heard many
languages at the overlooks and saw lots of states represented on license
plates.



Species list:



Surf Scoter 300
White-winged Scoter 50
Pacific Loon 25
Common Loon 5
Red-necked Grebe 1
Western Grebe 5
Sooty Shearwater 15000
Manx Shearwater 3

Brandt's Cormorant 10
Pelagic Cormorant 50
Bald Eagle 1
Peregrine Falcon 2
Black-bellied Plover 2
Semipalmated Plover 2
Sanderling 5
Western Sandpiper 25
Least Sandpiper 10
Heermann's Gull 50
Western Gull 5
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 150
California Gull 150
Common Murre 150
Marbled Murrelet 5
Rhinoceros Auklet 50
Tufted Puffin 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Steller's Jay 2
Northwestern Crow 25
Violet-green Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 10
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 10
Brown Creeper 3
Pacific Wren 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet 10
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 2
European Starling 5
Cedar Waxwing 10
Orange-crowned Warbler 5
Wilson's Warbler 2
Song Sparrow 5
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Red Crossbill 30



Andy and Ellen Stepniewski

Wapato WA

steppie at nwinfo.net