I bought a scope last year and am still rather a newbie when it comes to
using it. Right now, I am primarily using it to try to see Parasitic
Jaegers from land.

I have been out 7 times in the past few weeks to Alki and Golden Gardens -
sometimes I get there before dawn or at dawn, other times it's late
morning. I've tried to avoid windy days like today just because it's cold
and using a scope when it's windy is 'no fun'. (I am also avoiding foggy or
smokey days.)

Are there conditions where Jaegers are more likely? I'm guessing it's
dependent on what else is feeding out there - like terns and how active
they are. I've seen reports on Jaegers that do come close to shore but
ftmp I am scoping out into the middle of the sound. I'll scope for maybe an
hour and then I'll get bored and try a different spot.

I'll also use my binoculars a lot - look for activity that way first and
then zoom in using the scope. Never having done pelagic birding with anyone
else I am asking myself, what am I doing wrong? Is there something else I
should be doing?

BTW I would have taken a pelagic the past few years but I am still having
back and hip problems. Also because of the hip issue, I can't hike out to
West Beach in Discovery Park and walking around to the point at low tide is
super difficult. (I did manage to get a disabled decal temporarily but they
don't allow anyone to park down there right now.)
Thankfully, Golden Gardens has just reopened it's south parking.

Thanks for any suggestions!
Nadine
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20201013/e1afed37/attachment.html>