Washington Ornithological Society BirdBox Transcript 29 December 1995 to
3 January 1996
Prepared by Lisa Smith and Russell Rogers
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7:59 a.m. 12-29-95: Ben Freeman. Yesterday at Spencer Island there were 2
GREATER YELLOWLEGS along with 3 or 4 Eagles and a bunch of hawks. Also,
there were 4 Otters.

9:58 p.m. 12-29: Rachel Lawson, 282-5593. The KING EIDER is still out on
Whidbey Island today at lunchtime on Friday.

12:37 p.m. 12-30: Bill Tweit, 360-754-7098 [adult SLATY-BACKED GULL at
Thurston County Landfill]

4:22 p.m. 12-30: Steve Mlodinow. Today there was a CLARK'S GREBE behind
Marina Village, which is off Marine View Drive in Everett, a place where
there's an Anthony's Restaurant.

7:01 p.m. 12-30: Steve Hampton, a visiting birder from California, and
I'm staying at 206-564-5014. On the evening of December 25th, I saw a
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON along Puget Sound south of Day Island at 11
p.m. Today on the 30th I saw the LITTLE GULL at American Lake, visible
from Harry Todd County Park in Tillicum, and a possible OLDSQUAW flew
by.

4:26 p.m. 12-31: Ruth Taylor, 525-6345. Yesterday, December 30th, it was
still possible to have a five-Falcon day on the Samish Flats. The PRAIRIE
FALCON was still up there, located at midday on Sullivan Road.

8:30 a.m. 1-1-96: Steve Mlodinow, reporting from the Everett Christmas
Bird Count, which was done on December 31st. There were no wildly
exciting highlights, but some of the better stuff included a HARRIS'S
SPARROW on Spencer Island, which is located along the west side of the
island north into the hunting area. It was with a flock of other
Zonotrichias. There were also 11 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS seen between the
Everett Sewage Ponds area and the Spencer Island area. There were 3
REDHEADS at the Everett Sewage Ponds, and actually that's just about most
of the highlights.

8:51 a.m. 1-1: Wilson Cady, 360-835-5947. Best bird on the Washington
side of Sauvie Island Bird Count was a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK at the Carty
unit of the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. This is the fourth year in a row
that we've had a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK there.

4:43 p.m. 1-1: Patrick Sullivan, reporting from Tacoma, Washington. The
adult SLATY-BACKED GULL in Thurston County was again observed today at
the Nisqually Head Boat Launch in Thurston County from 10:45 to 11 a.m.
The bird was again observed at the Nisqually NWR along the Nisqually
Delta at the mouth of the Nisqually River between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. as
it preened, bathed, and roosted with other gulls, including
GLAUCOUS-WINGED and up to 6 THAYER'S GULLS. A first-winter GLAUCOUS GULL
was also observed in this general area. The Nisqually NWR is closed due
to government shutdown, but hiking and birding is accessible.

5:18 p.m. 1-1: Gene Hunn, 524-8112. I had an immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK in
the [University of Washington's] Arboretum just south of the Broadmoor
Golf Course entrance this morning about 11 a.m., and yesterday on the
Kent/Auburn Christmas count had a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW along 216th at
the bridge over the slough west of 41st Street.

6:31 p.m. 1-1: Dave Beaudette, 365-2083. This afternoon, January 1st, an
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW was seen in a large flock of WHITE-CROWNED and
GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS at the old Long Acres Race Track site in Renton,
King County. There is a large, weedy field a short distance south of
Boeing Building 25-01. This field is bordered on the east by a row of
Lombardi Poplars and on the west by a row of Lombardi Poplars and mixed
conifers. The address for the building 25-01 is 1301 SW 16th Street.

6:16 a.m. 1-2: Curtis Pearson, 206-722-9107. On January 1st Bobby Pearson
and I saw an adult BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE hovering over an open field east
of Long Beach, Washington, where Highway 101 Alternate meets Highway 101
South. The field was east of 101 Alternate and south of 101 South. After
observing it hovering for a few minutes, it dove to the ground and flew
away with prey, flying to the SE. This was about 12:30. Also, on January
1st, the BRAMBLING was still at Rex Ziack's feeder in Naselle. That was
about 1:30. On December 31st, there was a Red Phalarope on the bay side
of Ledbetter State Park.

11:53 a.m. 1-2: Scott Adkinson, 360-691-7232. From the Padilla Bay
Christmas Bird Count on December 30th coming from the Samish Flats area,
an adult HARRIS'S SPARROW in a large Zonitrichia flock along Allan West
Road just 150 yards west of the corner tavern in a bramble-laden low
area. Also of interest in the immediate vicinity, 8 AMERICAN PIPITS and a
brown-phase GYRFALCON. Also, good numbers of LINCOLN'S SPARROWS
throughout the area.

3:51 p.m. 1-2: Steven Mlodinow. Today David Lauden, Kathy Castle and I
went to Whidbey Island and the Skagit Flats. We had the KING EIDER at the
end of Hastie Lake Road. We had a ROCK SANDPIPER near Monroe's Landing at
the north end of Ten Cove. And we had a group of about 20,000 DUNLIN
along Bayview Edison Road in the Samish Flats. Along with those DUNLIN
there were about 50 WESTERN SANDPIPERS.

1:48 p.m. 1-3: Russell Rogers, reporting an adult female VERMILLION
FLYCATCHER from the Ridgefield NWR in Clark County. The bird was first
seen on December 31st by some Oregon birders and was reported January 2nd
by Harry Nehls. Joseph Engler called me today about half an hour ago
confirming that the bird was still there. Go to the parking lot at the
north unit. which is the Carty unit, and the bird was seen between the
parking lot and a pond at the end of the trail that's due west of the
parking lot.

2:07 p.m. 1-3: Greg Toffic. On January 1st at the Samish Flats between
the Bayview Edison T and the West 90, among the very many DUNLIN and
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, was a PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER, very brightly colored.
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