[EBB Sightings] Richmond Bay Trail and Albany Mudflats

Monday afternoon (11/12) between 1 and 3 pm, I was at Richmond Bay  
Trail, south of Meeker Slough Creek, closest to the 51st Street  
entrance to the trail. (This seems to be the area George McRae  
mentioned in his message as Baxter Creek mouth.) There were 10 Scaups  
and one Surf Scoter resting on a tiny beach outside the fence by the  
trail. 4 people (in two teams) with long-handled nets walked by me,  
and one of them introduced himself as Mark. He said that the ducks on  
shore were all oiled birds. (Although my untrained eyes could only  
see one Greater Scaup with obvious brown belly.) He told me that he  
and the team would come again at night to retrieve the ducks when  
they were easier to approach. He also pointed out that on the rocky  
pier extending into the bay there were more ducks. Using the scope we  
could see 11 Scaups and one Ruddy Duck. They would also be the  
targets of retrieval.

I think he is knowledgeable and knows what he is doing.

Looking out from the same spot, I could see one Eared Grebe in the  
water preening itself the whole time I was there.

Today (11/13) at Albany Mudflats, there was a Western Sandpiper with  
a yellow band on its left leg. It was feeding in a mixed group of  
Dunlins, Western and Least Sandpipers around 4 pm.

Here is a not-too-clear photo of the Scaups and Scoter resting on the  
beach from yesterday:
http://picasaweb.google.com/qin2tang2/OiledDucks/ 
photo#5132514799916784530

Wen Hsu