I've sea kayaked in Rosario Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca almost
every year since 1999. This summer, I've gone out from Washington Park in
Anacortes three times: once as far as Swirl Island and back, once to
Iceberg Point and back, and once all the way around Lopez Island (on
July 7).

I've not seen a single Marbled Murrelet this year, and fewer Rhino Auklets
that I seem to remember on average. RAs are there, just not in impressive
numbers. OTOH, Pigeon Guillemots seem quite abundant.

Are there any trends in alcid numbers or is this just random variation? I
saw a good number of Murrelets last year, I thought.

On July 7, a couple of other uncommon observations: a Peregrine Falcon
stooped down from the cliff on the south side of Castle Island at a Pigeon
Guillemot, without success, and as I came back across Rosario Strait from
Lopez Pass in the evening, I saw a single Brown Pelican.
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