With an early morning arising we set off for the bird cliffs to look for Dovekies. It was indeed a slog, but we met with success with six of the little guys seen well on the snow. Sean found a Golden-crowned Sparrow, but we couldn’t re-find it. We crossed the far bone yard and met up with the WINGS group but we didn’t sandwich any birds in between our two groups. We then tried the near bone yard with similar success, so we adjourned to the house for a hot cup of coffee. After lunch, several subgroups headed off in different directions. Tom and I went south along the runway and around the south end of the lake. We saw a White Wagtail (photo), the pair of Common Ringed Plovers, a Long-billed Dowitcher (photo), some Dunlin, a Peregrine Falcon, a Tundra Swan, and an octet of Sandhill Cranes. But no new birds for the year. After dinner of spaghetti and cole slaw, we were roused from our lethargy by a report of Orcas attacking a Grey Whale. So we dressed for the out-of-doors and went out to see. Indeed there was a large group of Orcas with a Grey Whale in the middle (photo). After a while, things settled down and the Orcas swam away and nothing was seen of the Grey Whale. However, three Grey Whales swam past close to the shore apparently avoiding that part of the sea where the Orcas were. No new birds. Total is still 609.
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