Mike and Tweeters,



Tufted Puffins used to (40-50 years ago) nest in small numbers at several
locations in inland waters (Salish Sea and Strait of Juan de Fuca). There
were small colonies (mostly fewer than 25 pairs) at Mandarte Island off
Sidney, BC; on the Williamson Rocks near Anacortes; on Colville Island off
the south end of Lopez; and possibly at other places. The only "inland"
places where they still nest are Smith Island, and perhaps Protection
Island. (Bob, do you have recent info on Protection Island?) The vast
majority of Puffins in BC, WA, and OR nest on islets off the outer coast
(e.g. Triangle Island in BC, Tatoosh Island in WA, and Haystack Rock at
Cannon Beach, OR).



Common Murres also breed almost entirely off the outer coast. However,
murres and puffins do exactly opposite things in the non-breeding season.
Murres move in large numbers into the Salish Sea and Puget Sound; they can
often be seen in hundreds from shore in places like Whidbey Island or Point
Roberts. Tufted Puffins do the exact opposite; they move offshore, far
offshore. To see a puffin anywhere near shore in winter, even on the outer
coast, is highly unusual. I have seen results of some seabird surveys done
hundreds of miles offshore in the North Pacific. Out there, two of the
commonest birds are Tufted Puffins and Herring Gulls! So that's why we
almost never see Tufted Puffins in winter.



Good luck and good birding,



Wayne C. Weber

Delta, BC

contopus at telus.net







From: Tweeters [mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman11.u.washington.edu] On
Behalf Of Mike Wagenbach
Sent: Monday, July 13, 2020 3:00 PM
To: B Boekelheide
Cc: Tweeters Tweeters
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Alcids in Washington



Thanks for the details survey results, Bob! I did not realize Common Murres
were so seasonal in the inland waters. I'll have to remember to get out
there in late September or October to enjoy seeing them in larger numbers.



Is there any similar influx of Puffins at any time, or are they always
uncommon? I've seen them along the south side of Lopez, but I think
probably only twice in all the times I've been down there.







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