Subject: [Tweeters] Rhino Herd's
Date: Apr 7 21:10:30 2015
From: Jeff Gibson - gibsondesign at msn.com





Just got back to the ranch after a sunset ride out to Point Wilson, out there at Fort Worden here in Port Townsend.
Just catching the last light, I was able to see great numbers of Rhinoceros Auklets winging it back to their digs on Protection Island, just down the way. Those Rhino's are a fast flying bird - I wonder how far they were coming back from on their fishing trip of the day. Mostly flying in single lines of a dozen to 25 per herd. Line after line. Hundreds and hundreds. Nice to see.
At one point I also saw what must have been a pair of Marbled Murrelets (all dark and tiny) flying along with the Rhino's, and keeping up pace nicely with the larger Rhino's. Alcids are zippy. A few Guillemots flying by closer to shore.
Just before leaving, two big dark shapes stuck up out of the water, near shore. Whales! I thought at first, thinking I was seeing big dorsal fin's, but it was just two Sea Lions, in close "periscoping" out of the water. Those were some really big Sea Lions.
Jeff Gibsonreporting fromPort Townsend Wa