It would’ve been a great day Thursday even if I hadn’t seen the Belted Kingfisher I posted yesterday. The brilliant blue of the Sound reflected the bright skies. And the water was alive with seals and birds.
Harbor seals
seemed as fascinated with people as we were with them.
As usual, there were gulls everywhere but this Mew Gull’s particularly inspiring flight demonstration deserved a shot for sure.
The most unusual bird of the day was this rather nondescript Rhinoceros Auklet.
Most of the species spends its winter at sea but a few frequent Pt Defiance in the winter.
If you spend enough time at the boathouse gazing out onto the Puget Sound you might also be lucky enough to witness a herring ball being attacked by seals and birds.
Though the gulls are the most visible because they dive from above, it’s really the seals, auklets, and mergansers that herd the herring to the surface. It’s a powerful reminder why Puget Sound attracts so many birds in winter and why it’s important that we somehow manage to maintain it’s bounty despite the growing pollution of millions of people living on its shores.
