Point No Point, and Marrowstone and Indian Islands (9/11/04) Highlights

Our first stop at Point No Point, provided what we all agreed was the highlight of the day: incredible aerial displays of several Parasitic (and one Long-tailed) Jaegers hectoring hundreds of Bonaparte’s Gulls and Common Terns. What a spectacle! We hated to leave, but finally packed up the scopes and continued on our planned route. The several parks on Marrowstone and Indian Islands provided more highlights, and offered some great looks at other birds. At Indian Island County Park we canvassed the bushes for passerines and got good looks at Fox and White-crowned Sparrows, and a silent Willow Flycatcher, among others. Scanning the shores and water we found Black Turnstone, Surf Scoter, Common Loon, Pigeon Guillemot, and Rhinoceros Auklet. A VERY distant snag produced our only Bald Eagle of the day, and a few got a close-up of a Coopers Hawk in action.

After lunch at Mystery Bay State Park, we headed to Fort Flagler State Park. Here we had all three cormorants, Pelagic, Brandt’s and Double-crested, perched together on pilings for wonderful scoped comparisons. A walk out on the spit produced Harlequin Ducks, the males in various stages of molting from eclipse to breeding plumage, one lone Western Sandpiper, more Black Turnstones, Red-necked Grebe, and Heermann’s Gulls.

At our next to last stop, Oak Bay County Park, we scanned a large group of resting California, Ring-billed, and Mew Gulls and Caspian Terns, including juveniles begging from their parents, when the whole flock took to the air. A quick look found a Peregrine Falcon, our third for the day, hunting amongst them. After circling unsuccessfully for a minute or two, it flew off in search of easier prey.

There were 11 birders and 68 species sighted.