Re seat-of-the-pants observations on the seabirds nesting on Tatoosh Island, WA during the 97 season (in other words, the data have not been properly worked up yet...), levels of attendance and productivity appear to be at or higher than any other year in the 1990's for species we follow: fork-tailed storm-petrels, glaucous-winged gulls, pelagic and double-crested cormorants, and common murres. No sign of starvation, either adults washing up, or chicks starving. Species composition of fish fed to murre chicks did not change substantively from 1996. Radio-telemetered murre parents foraged within range of our receivers (about 7 -10 km) approximately 80% of the time (i.e. they aren't going very far for food). Breeding phenology was within the range of dates of previous years for all species.
In short, the 'obvious' signs of ENSO's effects on upper trophic level marine species: death, decreased attendance, and reproductive failure, were not apparent. Maybe next year. --Julia K. Parrish <jparrish@u.washington.edu>