[Tweeters] Skagit County

[jimbetz at jimbetz.com]

Hank,

   Any time you see several different species of water birds - all
moving in the same direction and especially when some are flying from
the rear to the front of the line ... they are following some kind of
"bait ball" (a school of fish swimming in one direction often near the
surface).  Usually it is some kind of small fish - nothing as large as
salmon (although they school in large numbers as well).

   One of my most memorable times seeing this was in Monterey Bay
when the herring (smelt?) were running.  There were gulls,
pelicans, cormorants, etc. that were "a dark cloud in the sky
above the water".  All of them were trying to stay ahead of the
school - they would fly ahead, land, gorge, and repeat.  Many
got so full they couldn't fly any more and were coming ashore to
just sit and recover from over-eating.  These birds on the
shore did not exhibit 'normal' fear of humans walking near them
but instead were barely able to waddle ashore and would flop
down and just sit there where you could walk right up to them.
Much closer than any other time you might see a bird just out of
the surf line.
                                                          - Jim