By Madrone Ruggiero
One person joined me on a calm early fall ferry trip across Admiralty Inlet. Small numbers of expected fall species were seen. Feeding on the edge of Keystone Harbor were Pigeon Guillemots, now all in their winter plumage. On the Port Townsend side we got to see their bright red feet as they dove to swim away from the ferry. Pairs and small groups of Common Murres were scattered throughout the voyage. As the ferry pulled into the dock in Port Townsend, we were treated to up-close looks through the mezzanine deck windows at the Pelagic Cormorants sitting on the ferry dolphin.
In Port Townsend we walked down to the public dock at the Point Hudson Marina. There we found a Belted Kingfisher perched on the breakwater and a still begging first year Glaucus-winged x Western Hybrid Gull. At the marina we also got to closely examine a small group of preening cormorants sitting on the adjacent breakwater. Viewing them through the scope we could see that they all had tiny white down feathers stuck to their bills. In the group we found a Brandt’s sitting next to a Pelagic that allowed us to compare the two in their winter plumage. At the end of the row of preening cormorants was a brownish cormorant that we identified as a first year Pelagic Cormorant.