Hello, Tweeters,

I?ll be visiting Washington at the end on September, sprinting up to
Vancouver, B.C. on Sept. 25 along the I90/I94 corridor, then taking our
time through Puget Sound, Olympic Peninsula and down the coast the
following week to get home. I?ll be checking the listservs frequently but
wanted to know about some of the Northwest?s specialties.

First, is the ABA guide for Washington still fairly current (in particular
for Mountain Quail)? Are Sky Lark still on San Juan Island or are they
gone?

Next, are there any good places to see open water seabirds and alcids that
may be close to shore?
Black-footed Albatross
Northern Fulmar
Shearwaters
Storm Petrels
Skua
Long-tailed Jaeger
Thick-billed Murre
Ancient Murrelet
Auklets
Puffins

Finally, where are the best shorebird spots along the coast? Are some of
the migrants moving south yet (We?ve seen phalaropes and large kettles of
Swainson?s Hawks in Arizona since July ? very early for these species).

Any help will be appreciated. You can reply off the listserv if you wish.

Best regards,

Craig Fischer
Phoenix, Arizona