As thrilling as it was to see the Humpback Whales, I was just as fascinated by the Harbor Seals
because I didn’t immediately recognize them as Harbor Seals. The Harbor Seals I know are almost inevitably gray and black, but many of these seals were pure white, and there was even a jet black one.
There are lots of Cormorants in Puget Sound, but this is the first time I’ve seen a colony with chicks
and I want to go back with my 500mm lens w/doubler and tripod and really focus in on the chicks and nests.
A Common Murre is even rarer in Puget Sound,
and I’ve only seen colonies of birds this large on TV. I still wonder how a parent can locate its offspring in a colony like this,
much less how it can even manage to land without crashing into a fellow Murre.
It was an amazing experience that bears repeating next year, perhaps when the chicks are younger so they are easier to spot.