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2000 WOS Conference
Port Angeles - September 15-17
The 12th Annual WOS Conference was held at the Red Lion
Inn in Port Angeles, who provided good to excellent food and
accommodations. The beautiful views of the Port Angeles
Harbor were marred somewhat by a noisy and smelly series of
jet ski races throughout the weekend, but that was about the
only sour note for the conference. It was excellently
organized, the field trips were very successful, and even if
few rare/notable birds were spotted, everyone seemed to
enjoy the birding and the companionship.
Port Angeles is nestled between the Straits of San Juan de
Fuca and Olympic National Park's Hurricane Ridge and served
as an ideal base for a variety of excellent birding
opportunities. The weather was possibly too nice, such that
the hoped-for variety of interesting migrants and vagrants
failed to turn up. But the On-Top-of-the-World experience
of the Hurricane Ridge trip on Saturday made up for that.
Field Trips
Sequim Bay and
Dungeness Spit
Saturday: This trip (I don't know
about Sunday's) never made it as far as Dungeness Spit. But
that was fine because of the number and variety of
out-of-the-way spots that were hit between Sequim and the
Three-Crabs restaurant. A huge species count was tallied
through visiting these diverse habitats, illustrating the
richness of the lowlands.
Port Angeles Harbor
and Ediz Hook
Sunday: A beautiful Peregrine Falcon
posing at the very tip of the Hook at the Coast Guard
station highlighted the tour of the Harbor and Hook. A stop
at the mouth of the Elwha River was an added treat.
Hurricane Ridge and Heart o' the Hills
Saturday and Sunday: Saturday's
trip got above the clouds for a rapturous experience for
all.
Elwha River - Saturday: Not the highest species count, but excellent
leaders and a great location made for a great experience.
Clallam Bay and Western Estuaries
Sunday: This long trip was made
worthwhile by great birding.
Talks and Presentations
Friday, September 15
Tim Cullinan, National
Audubon Society, Washington State Office Autumn Migration on
the Olympic Peninsula
Saturday, September 16
Colloquium - Seabirds
and Gulls of the Olympic Peninsula
Tim McNulty - Vice-President, Olympic Park Association - Natural History
of the Olympic Peninsula |
