Towheeblog

Our Northwest birding trip for Golden Gate Audubon went to sea today. Then we wrapped up the day on spongy “dry” land. We took the ferryboat fronm Port Townsend to Whidbey Island, then later birded Samish Flats on the mainland. At the Port Townsend ferry terminal Brandt’s Cormorants were perched on pilings right outside the ferry window. For the first time I could see and photograph the blue gular pouch. Note the fine white decorastive feathers of a breeding season adult.

The Common Murres were seen in Admiralty Channel, and one was an unusual dark morph bird.

Fromthe ferryboat we saw hundreds of Rhino Auklets in pods, like floating islands. Here is one picture where you can see the facial lines and the yellow horn on the beak of some birds.,
We saw more Rough-legged Hawks than Red-tails this afternoon as we birded Samish Flats. Here are three of those we saw. There seemed to be even more Bald Eagles than Rough-legs.