(Sept. 26 - 27, 2005)

SEPT. 26/05 - DEEP BAY BIRDS AGAIN - If this journal looks like a rerun of the past journal, it's because it is. I saw some of the same birds again. This time I was in a boat with Bob Fleming doing our annual mini-photo-pelagic, but the Common Murre and the Marbled Murrulet were the same birds as they seem to have taken up residence just off Deep Bay Spit. I was hoping for a Horned Lark, Eared Grebe, Rock Sandpiper, or Little Gull, and I can't believe that none of them materialized. Life just isn't fair is it? However, I did find a new Island bird for my camera - Western Grebes. I saw a group of 7, and I managed to get a few distant shots for the record. The Western's were extremely wary and very elusive. They had a knack for disappearing whenever we got within camera range. On the other hand, the Common Murre and Marbled Murrulet just off the end of Deep Bay Spit were almost perfect photographic subjects. We were able to approach within 20 feet of each, but they did maintain a buffer of 20 feet between us. If the ocean weren't bouncing so much, I might have gotten some better pictures.

The Common Murre at the end of Deep Bay Spit was the most relaxed bird I have ever seen. It never dove once as we jockeyed around the waves and wind for a good camera angle.

At low tide we found the Marbled Murrulet about 10 feet from the end of the spit. The spit drops off quite sharply and is a hangout for schools of small fish, which explains why a few birds camp there.

The Marbled Murrulet didn't take any evasive action, but it mainly showed us the posterior view.

The sculptured rock faces of Chrome Island replete with artistic nooks and crannies provided ideal roosting spots for cormorants. Two Brandt's Cormorants were perched like ebony statues on a sandstone pedestral.

What's a mini-pelagic without Pelagic Cormorants? There were plenty of them on Chrome Island and Norris Rock.

A group of 7 gorgeous long-necked Western Grebes was the highlight of our mini-pelagic. At a distance, they looked like a handful of white straws waving in the breeze.

Our closest shot was on our first encounter. They still hadn't decided what to do as we quietly slid closer. Once they decided not to trust us, they kept their distance.

Different birds have different tolerance levels for proximity to boats. The Pigeon Guillemot seemed comfortable at about 30 - 40 feet.

SEPT. 27/05 - ANOTHER RERUN - I had written off the Townsend's Warbler for this year as I thought they had all migrated south by now. How wrong I was as a flock of at least 6 were foraging in the willows and cedars by my driveway this morning.

PEEK-A-BOO! It seemed that the only time the Townsend's Warbler kept still was when it was behind a leaf or some other obstruction.

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