WASHINGTON ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY BIRDBOX
26-30 January 1996

Prepared by Lisa Smith and Russell Rogers.
Minor editorial changes have been made to some messages to enhance
readability.

The BirdBox is a service of the Washington Ornithological Society (WOS).
To access the BirdBox call (206) 454-2662 and follow the directions.
Black-capped, Chestnut-Backed, Mountain and Boreal Chickadees are
resident in Washington State.

To Join WOS send check for $20.00 for single membership or $25.00 for
family membership to: WOS, Post Office Box 31783, Seattle, Washington
98103-1783.

Please note that the Seattle Audubon Rare Bird Alert is out of service
with technical problems. Service will be restored as soon as possible.

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4:48 p.m. 01/26/96: Richard Rowlett, 865-0276, with a summary report from
a snow birding trip in north central Washington, January 19th through the
23rd. Although a bit dated now, prospects should still be current.

More than 4,000 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen on the Waterville Plateau on the
19th. The center of concentration was along Route 172 about six miles
either side of Mansfield, Douglas County, where flocks ranged in size
from up to 2,000 to several hundred to just a few, often mixed with
HORNED LARKS. With snows forecast this weekend, best time and place
should be after the snow stops, and when Route 172 is freshly plowed and
especially sanded. Snow-covered side roads aren't as good. The SNOW
BUNTING/HORNED LARK flocks like the sanded bare pavement.

An immature gray morph GYRFALCON was seven miles east of Mansfield on
Route 172 and 0.6 miles south on Heritage Road, perched on one of the
hummocky rocks in the field on the west side of the road. At Foster Creek
Wildlife Management Area, several SHARP-TAILED GROUSE were found by
following their tracks in fresh snow in the brushy and wooded edges.

In Okanagan County, there was *no* HAWK OWL at Winthrop, but in the area,
and adjacent to Chewack Valley and Pearrygrin State Park, 450
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES, 280 COMMON REDPOLLS, 250 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS,
and an adult male NORTHERN GOSHAWK were seen.

In the Okanagan Highlands, Havillah, Molson and Chesaw areas, it was
pretty quiet except for 175 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES, 120 SNOW BUNTINGS,
and a single WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. A mountain lion (cougar) stalking
deer in the meadows 1.5 miles south of Havillah was the real highlight up
there.

5:23 p.m. 01/26/96: Richard Rowlett, 865-0276. At Lake Sammamish State
Park, Issaquah, some current regular winter residents all through January
so far, and up through and including this afternoon, include up to 170
DUNLIN, EURASIAN WIGEON, MERLIN, and SWAMP SPARROWS. The DUNLIN, WIGEON,
and MERLIN are often seen on soccer field # 3-9 just across the road from
the Arco Station. DUNLIN are quite rare at this inland location, and 170
must be a record. The two SWAMP SPARROWS, first discovered on the east
Lake Washington Christmas Bird Count on December 16th, continue to be
seen in the marshy, swampy field south of the boat launch off East Lake
Sammamish Parkway. Look for the orange flagging which marks the site, and
be sure to wear your boots.

5:37 p.m. 01/26/96: Kevin Aenerud. Today is the 26th of January. At
approximately three o'clock on the south end of Lake Washington, which is
from Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park in Renton, there were two GLAUCOUS
GULLS in a flock of gulls seen to the west of the marina there. Best is
to scope and just be patient. And late afternoon is probably better, when
the maximum number of gulls are in the area.

5:34 p.m. 01/28/96: Bill Shelmerdine, 360-866-9106. Birding yesterday in
Douglas County, there was a HARRIS'S SPARROW at the Wells Wildlife Area,
Bridgeport Bar Unit. That would be in the fields adjacent to Highway 172
at milepost 8. There were also a SHARP-TAILED GROUSE and a SAW-WHET OWL
in the Ferry Canyon Wildlife Unit.

8:50 p.m. 01/28/96: Bob Sundstrom, 762-4327, reporting for January 28th.
On the Samish Flats, a single adult ROSS'S GOOSE, in a flock of several
thousand WIGEONS along Darcy Road east of Bayview Edison road near the
large John Seth Farm, seen at 2 p.m. and again at about 3 p.m.

9:41 p.m. 01/28/96: Alex Cruise, 322-0704, for myself and Roger Yoss
[sp?] on the 28th of January. We'd like to report two individuals of an
unidentified SWALLOW species seen flying underneath the bridge just north
of the Everett Sewage Ponds from I-5. And also a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER
just south of the Padilla Bay Nature Center on the east side of the road
near a farmhouse with a feeder. Also, there were six immature BALD EAGLES
playing a kind of chase and catch game with a duck wing in that area.

8:49 a.m. 01/29/96: Chris Clark. I just saw a LEWIS' WOODPECKER in the
Montlake area not too far from the [University of Washington] Arboretum.

1:42 p.m. 01/29/96: Martha Taylor, 523-4677. I have a bird at my feeder.
It looks like a female HOUSE FINCH, but it's got a white head with--one
side of its face has a little dark mark, and then it's streaky, but
white. If anybody has an idea of what it could be, I'd appreciate a call.
Thanks.

7:39 p.m. 01/29/96: Bob Norton, 360-928-3053, in Port Angeles. A PALM
WARBLER was sighted at the Dungeness Recreation Area yesterday and was
seen by a number of people today. The YELLOW-BILLED LOON at the John
Wayne Marina has been seen on three out of four visits there. There are
several other LOONS which are pale but are not YELLOW-BILLED LOONS.

8:23 p.m. 01/29/96: Mary Ruth Vans, 527-2138. In the Skagit Valley today
on the highway between Conway and La Conner, on the left when you're
headed toward La Conner, about six to eight BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS
about 4 p.m. in a fifteen-foot tree.

8:57 p.m. 01/29/96: Gene Hunn, reporting from last Saturday, the 27th. We
had three immature WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS at the Skagit Wildlife
Management Area right near the parking lot in a flock of GOLDEN-CROWNEDS.
We had one adult BLUE GOOSE in a flock of about 5,000 SNOWS just off Fir
Island Road. There was an adult gray-phased GYRFALCON along Chuckanutt
Drive about a mile north of Alan West Road that afternoon. We had 23 male
EURASIAN WIGEONS in a flock of AMERICAN WIGEONS just north of West 90,
but no sign of the AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER in amongst the BLACK-BELLIEDS
there.

4:52 p.m. 01/30/96: June Wilkerson. I was down at Foster Island and I saw
the RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER again. It's in the section between where you
walk under the 520 and before you walk over to the marsh island thing
over there, but it's to the east of the trail in a pine there with a
nestbox, and it's hanging out in the same spot. Seems pretty comfortable
there. And I also saw in the blackberry bushes on the other side of
Foster Island--if I didn't know better, I would say it looked like a
COMMON YELLOW-THROAT, only it had a definite eye ring, very soft
olive-colored yellow with a yellowish rump, no wingbars. And I'm not
really sure what that was.

5:12 p.m. 01/30/96: Andy Stepniewski, reporting from Wapato, Washington.
I'm reporting for Debbie Brown, who lives in Moxee. This afternoon she
observed a gray-phased adult GYRFALCON between milepost 21 and milepost
22 east of Moxee on Highway 24 on the highway to Vernita. Had a good
study of it right on the side of the road, on a telephone pole. It was a
life bird for her. She has looked several times there before, and this
was her newest for today. That's it. And it's *cold* out here, guys!
Minus, minus--and blowing. So, come on out and check it out!