WASHINGTON ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY BIRDBOX for 12 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.

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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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2:10 p.m. 01/06/96: Ruth Sullivan, 564-7419. An update on the adult female
FLYCATCHER in Ridgefield: The bird was observed between 7:45 a.m. and
10:00 a.m. in good lighting. It was very active, and cooperative for
taking pictures.

7:18 p.m. 01/06/96: Steven Mlodinow. Today the BRAMBLING was still at Rex
Ziack's back yard in Naselle, Washington.

12:39 p.m. 01/07/96: Anne Tyler, 1634 SW 114th, Apartment #4. In the
backyard, I believe I've discovered a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, which is
fiercely defending a holly tree which I believe it's nesting in.

1:45 p.m. 01/07/96: Gene Hunn, 524-8112. Yesterday, January the 6th, the
KING EIDER was still present at the end of Hastie Lake Road on Whidbey
Island, but it was very difficult to see as it was a long ways offshore
diving in rough water. Two RUDDY TURNSTONES were seen in Penn Cove on
Whidbey Island off the Mussel Platforms. One immature HEERMAN'S GULL was
still present at the Edmonds Marina on January 7th.

2:23 p.m. 01/07/96: Jim Flynn in Renton at 772-5568. I just want to report
that the TREE SPARROW is still present at the Long Acre site in Renton.
The bird was in the weedy fields as described by Dave Beaudette,
in-between two rows of Lombardi Poplars. Also in the area today, January
7th, was one male AMERICAN KESTREL and a couple of NORTHERN HARRIERS.

2:28 p.m. 01/07/96: Gary Smith, 932-6913. I live near the Alki Point
Lighthouse. The last two days, Saturday the 6th and Sunday the 7th, in
midday, I have seen a CASPIAN TERN flying and foraging. I believe that's a
rarity around here, so I hope that's of some help.

4:20 p.m. 01/07/96: Bruce LaBar, 206-272-1058. Just want to report that
the female VERMILION FLYCATCHER, down at Ridgefield National Wildlife
Refuge is still being seen. I saw it today around 1 o'clock. To get there,
you want to go through the town of Ridgefield and turn right on Main
Street. Follow Main Street for about maybe two miles to the parking lot
for the National Wildlife Refuge. Go over the bridge that goes over the
railroad tracks, and immediately turn to your left and go down the hill to
a footbridge that crosses a creek; and from that vicinity to the willows
straight ahead of you, the female VERMILION FLYCATCHER has been working
that area and off fence posts, flycatching and wagging its tail, and it's
quite visible.

5:31 p.m. 01/07/96: Gene Hunn, 524-8112, reporting that Anne Tyler's
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was still present this afternoon at 1634 SW 114th.
Her phone number is 244-9742, and she welcomes visitors.

6:44 p.m. 01/07/96: Toby Andrews. A GREAT GRAY OWL in Deer Lake Park in
downtown Vancouver, very easy to get to. The bird was there about 1
o'clock this afternoon. Call the Vancouver Hotline at 604-737-3074, and
you'll get further updates.

10:11 p.m. 01/07/96: Patrick Sullivan, reporting from Tacoma, Washington.
The DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER in Newport, Oregon, reported on 01/01 and
confirmed on 01/03/96, was again relocated today between 8 and 9 a.m. and
again between 3:45 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. in the vicinity of Lee and Nye
Streets off Highway 101 in West Newport.

11:21 p.m. 01/07/96: Steve Mlodinow. The VERMILION FLYCATCHER is still
present at Ridgefield. Follow Bruce LaBar's excellent directions. The same
area this morning there was an adult RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, both seen
perched, flying, and calling. Other highlights from the area include four
SWAMP SPARROWS at the River unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife
Refuge. Follow the road. Driving along, you'll go past the parking lot
for the observation blind to the next parking lot. Park here and walk out
into the swampy, marshy area along the trail, and we had four SWAMP
SPARROWS there. Also, between Post Office Lake and Vancouver Lake there
was an adult BLUE GOOSE today. And that's about it.

11:58 p.m. 01/07/96: Michael Carmody in Olympia, Washington. This
afternoon in Grays Harbor County, my wife and I saw what I believe is a
female BIAKAL TEAL. From Highway 12 heading East. Get off the highway and
head towards Oakville. 1.1 miles down the road is North Blockhouse Road.
It is not marked; the road goes to the right. What is distinctive about
that is there's a road that goes to the left called Murray Place, so you
could find it off that. As you go on North Blockhouse Road one and
one-half miles--1.5 miles--down the road is a small pond on your right. It
was on that pond in mid-afternoon today. The area is flooded. Farmers give
access if permission is asked. It's a low- probability chase, I believe,
because of the amount of waterfall and the high waters, but I would love
to have someone else see this bird as well.

6:11 a.m. 01/08/96: Douglas Marshall. I went birding with Mike Donahue and
Alan Grinnon on Sunday, the 6th of January, and we went up to Whidbey
Island and the end of Hastie Lake Road and located the KING EIDER at about
noon. It was quite far out initially and later flew in closer to shore
where we could get a good ID.

8:43 a.m. 01/08/96: Scott Atkinson, 360-691-7232, reporting for the
Marysville area. On Saturday, January 6th, a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE was seen
fleetingly just opposite the Marysville exit just to the very west of I-5.
Also of interest for this part of Snohomish County, on the east side of
Marysville near the Kenwanda Golf Course, a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.

6:40 p.m. 01/08/96: Bill Tweit. On the afternoon of January the 8th, I had
a RUSTY BLACKBIRD feeding in with a large flock of BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS in
the parking lot of the Wilbur Ellis Company, which is located in Skagit
County on the corner of Highway 20 and Bayview Edison Road. Half a mile
north of there I had an adult gray-phased GYRFALCON on the flyby as well.

6:59 p.m. 01/09/96: Steve Mlodinow. Cathy Castlein, Dave Lauter, my
brother Mike, and I went out to the Skagit Flats and Whidbey Island today.
We had a HARRIS'S SPARROW on Fir Island. Go from Conway over to, west onto
Fir Island. Take the first right. Go north to where there's a big sign
with swans on it. Look in the raspberry brambles that are near there. [A]
big flock of sparrows with it. Next good bird was a PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER
on the Samish Flats. There was also a GYRFALCON, immature, at the Bayview
Edison/Samish Island T. There was a LEACH'S STORM PETREL feeding off of
Bayview State Park. There was also an *enormous* concentration of dabblers
seen along that side of Padilla Bay, totaling at least a hundred thousand
birds. Other highlights include: the KING EIDER still present at the west
end of Hastie Lake Road and five EARED GREBES on Penn Cove. And I think
that's it.

2:11 p.m. 01/10/96: Steve Mlodinow. Today Cathy Castlein, Dave Lauter, my
brother Mike, and I started out at the Edmonds Fishing Pier, where we had
the first-year HEERMAN'S GULL and an EARED GREBE. At Two Rivers Wildlife
Management Area near Monroe we had three WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and a
HARRIS'S SPARROW, walking in from the Tualco Loop parking lot. And then,
in the town of Sultan, off US 2, we had a SWAMP SPARROW. To get to this
bird, take Sultan Basin Road north from US 2 just south of Rockberry
Gardens, which is prominently signed on the side of the road. There's a
marshy area, and that's where the SWAMP SPARROW is.

5:25 p.m. 01/10/96: Steve Mlodinow again. There are a couple of highlights
I forgot to add on to the previous message: that we had a REDHEAD at
Blackman's Lake, a dark-phased HARLAN'S HAWK on Homemaker's Road on Ebey
Island, and a light-phased HARLAN'S HAWK at the parking lot of Two Rivers
Wildlife Management Area, the Tualco Loop parking lot. There's also two
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS at Two Rivers Wildlife Management Area.