Yesterday (Thanksgiving) we walked on the ferrry at Kingston to visit family.? Without binos.? To the west of the ferry, I saw two seabirds, looked to be about the size of a bonaparte's gull or smaller.? The birds had a charcoal gray head and mantle, dark bill, unmarked white back and looked like black wingtips.? The birds dove from a floating position and swam down using their wings until they disappeared, stayed down 20-30 seconds, and then reappeared a ways off.? This observed?from a distance of about 50-75 yards.?I watched them for about five minutes until the ferry pulled out.??Since I live on the water, I'm pretty familiar with seabirds and these have me stumped.? They are not murres.? We went back today with equipment, but could not find the birds.? Aside from the?possibility that I may have been hallucinating, any suggestions?Today at the Kingston ferry dock we saw the usual surf scoters, glaucous-winged and bonaparte's gulls, double-crested and pelagic cormorants and acouple of buffleheads and barrow's goldeneyes.? To the west at?Arness Park?at the head of Appletree Cove we saw a large flock of American wigeons and a few goldeneyes and buffleheads.? On the?stream side of the causeway at Arness Park was another large flock of wigeons with one very bright European wigeon.? Irene thought she saw the female but I couldn't pick her out.? Also the odd goldeneye and?4 very attractive ducks with bright green heads that we call Mallards and take for granted.At the Liberty Bay Marina, we had our usual Barrow's goldeneyes, horned grebes, black turnstones, gw gulls, bonapartes, belted kingfisher and the gb heron will show up later.? Cheers.
StanPoulsbosteamboatwilleys at yahoo dot com