Subject: WOS BirdBox: 12/21 to 12/28
Date: Jan 3 23:06:17 1996
From: Russell Rogers - rrogers
Transcript prepared by Lisa Smith and Russell Rogers
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7:24 p.m. 12-21-95: Hugh Jennings of Bellevue, Washington, 206-746-6351.
Just completed another monthly survey at Ocean Shores yesterday. There
was a fairly high high tide; it was about 10 o'clock and heavy surf, so
there wasn't a lot of beach for the shorebirds, but we did have our
second best day of 45 species, the highlights of which were 1 American
Bittern, 7 Greater White-fronted Geese, 3 Peregrine Falcons, 1 Bald
Eagle, 16 Black Turnstones, and 6 Red-necked Phalaropes--three of these
were in a pond in the dunes on the ocean side, and three of them were in
the main sewage pond; and they were within 10 to 12 feet of us and
provided excellent photo opportunities.
7:20 p.m. 12-22: Bill Shelmerdine in Olympia, 360-866-9106. Birding today
in Clallam County, there was an Eurasian Wigeon, a Northern Shrike, and 2
Trumpeter Swans at the Dungeness recreation area. There were also
Trumpeter Swans at Lake Leland in Jefferson County and at the mouth of
the Duckabush River. There were 29 Marbled Murrelets at West Sequim Bay
as seen from the John Wayne Marina area.
11:32 a.m. 12-24: Dan McDougal-Tracy, 525-5072. Today, the 24th of
December, at the Montlake Fill at the University of Washington, there was
a Swamp Sparrow; by report of Dale Wesley, who was there just before me,
a Northern Shrike; and yesterday, with the help of a tape recording, came
up with 5 certainly, as many as 8, Virginia Rails.
7:39 p.m. 12-24: Ed Deal, 206-723-4742. Today, December 24th, from 3 to
3:20 p.m. at the west end of Hastie Lake Road on Whidbey Island I
observed an immature male King Eider about 30 yards offshore from that
viewpoint in among some Harlequin Ducks and common Loons.
11:07 a.m. 12-25: Mike Denny in Walla Walla. I would like to report some
sightings on the Waterville Plateau: Along J SE, which comes south off
Highway 2 east of Moses Coulee, we had a single gray-morph Gyrfalcon.
This was on Saturday, the 22nd, I believe it is...23rd, sorry. Also in
the general area there were 10 to 15 Lapland Longspurs, about 8 Snow
Buntings, and three massive flocks of Horned Larks. We observed this
gray-morph Gyrfalcon taking a Horned Lark in midair. Also, the
Yellow-billed Loon is still present on Blue Lake in the Coulee.
3:37 p.m. 12-25: Julia Bent, 206-783-0669, with a Christmas Day update on
Ed's Eider. The King Eider is still off Whidbey Island opposite Hastie
Lake Road on the west side of the island just south of Swantown. It had
breakfast around 9 o'clock, then it took a long bath around 9:30. Seemed
very content in the area, and I could see it offshore a little south, and
then around 1:15 I went back, and he was north of the area, diving,
having Christmas lunch. Seems very fixed to the area, so go take a look
at him-- he's easy to spot. Merry Christmas!
6:53 a.m. 12-26: Gene Hunn, 524-8112, reporting on the Skagit Christmas
Count of December 23rd. Our party had 2 Harris's Sparrows. One was along
Ferriman Road near the junction of Rollins Road on Fir Island along the
slough just behind the little fruit stand south of the junction with
Rollins. The other was on Dodge Valley Road north of the north fork of
the Skagit. At the North Fork access there were 300 Tundra Swans, a few
Trumpeters in the morning, and at least 7 Short-eared Owls.
11:24 p.m. 12-26: ??? [sounds like Beck Elan]. On December 26th in the
afternoon, we saw a Roughlegged Hawk on Homemaker's Road south of Highway
2 right off Hewitt Avenue as you come off I-5. A beautiful sighting. It
was great!
10:39 a.m. 12-27: Scott Adkinson, reporting from the Sequim-Dungeness
Christmas Bird Count, to augment earlier report by Gene Hunn. Of note,
Gene Hunn's big day with George Gerdts out on Dungeness Spit with
Yellow-billed Loon, Northern Fulmar, Marbled Godwit, 18 Red Phalaropes,
and numerous Ancient Murrelets, included three new birds: the fulmar, the
godwit, and the phalaropes--although the godwit and phalaropes had been
found previously in count week. Also of note on the count, which was held
the 16th of December, both dowitcher species and, at a feeder, Anna's
[Hummingbird] and, more surprisingly, a[n] over-wintering Rufous
Hummingbird. A Townsend's Solitaire found on the Eastern Miller
Peninsula. Also of interest, Snow Bunting on Protection Island and at
Gray's Marsh, a private hunting preserve, 2 Swamp Sparrows and a
White-throated Sparrow. And finally, the count came up with around 137
species, with still a couple of, two or three feeder parties to report,
as well as a few details pending. And a Spotted Owl, unfortunately not
within the count circle, [but] just outside it that answered the tape in
the southern extreme, *near* the southern extreme, of the circle.
2:06 p.m. 12-27: Bruce LaBar. December 27th, a Wednesday morning. The
King Eider is still at the end of Hastie Lake Road on Whidbey Island. An
immature male, which has been reported before, and I thought I'd update that.
10:13 p.m. 12-27: David Kaner, 360-493-0091, reporting on the King Eider
on Whidbey Island. It is still there as of 3:30 p.m. on December 27th.
2:40 p.m. 12-28: Steve Pink, 603-0736. Today at Whidbey Island at
lunchtime, the King Eider was still present, and also 3 Red Phalarope.