I got a call at 8:30 this morning from an experienced birder who was watching a BROWN BOOBY from Sunset Avenue. It was an adult bird making numerous punch dives. As I drove down I realized that was what I was seeing Friday evening about 6:30 pm. I had finished off an early evening of birding by watching Parasitic Jaegers from Sunset. Just as I was putting away my scope and the rain was starting, I noticed through my binoculars a dark bird tucking its wings and diving several times. It pulled up from each dive just before penetrating the surface. It has been many years since I have watched boobies and just did not realize what I was seeing until the call for the booby this morning. Three of us converged on Sunset just as a mile-long train came by to obstruct the view. By the time the train passed, the booby was gone. We watched from Sunset and from Water Street until 10:30 without relocating the bird. Todd Hass was still watching when I left to come home and file this post.

It is actually a good morning on the sound. Activity is picking up. We had several Common Loon fly-bys, a couple of Parasitic Jaegers, lots of Surf Scoters are back, there were at least one Mew Gull and lots of Bonaparte's Gulls. We also saw harbor porpoises, sea lions, and one adult and one young Orca at the southern entrance to Admiralty Inlet.

Yesterday evening I had a Western Meadowlark near the marsh. There were also three more Northern Pintails and a Hooded Merganser. With Jeff Gibson's Western Scrub-Jay and the Western Meadowlark, we are now at 172 species for the year. We will ponder what to do about the booby. Once I finish my java jolt, I'll be heading back down to Sunset with my scope.

Carol Riddell
Edmonds, Wa