Has there been an update on the possible Smew sighting?

Barry Levine Seattle levineb at belnet.bellevue.k12.wa.us

On Fri, 10 Jan 1997 Norton360 at aol.com wrote:

>
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> Transcribed by: Bob Norton, Joyce, WA (near Port Angeles)
> norton360 at aol.com
> (360) 928-3053
>
> [Susan Collicut had difficulty with her machine so there has been a gap in
> coverage]
>
> (My apologies to anyone whose name I have mangled. If anyone can supply
> correct spellings of peoples names or place names, I am trying to keep a list
> of correct spellings so those corrections would be appreciated)
>
> 9:41 AM January 6 - Steve Dang, 368-6887. About 10 minutes ago down in West
> Seattle, there was a Rock Sandpiper. It's on Alki Avenue about a quarter of
> a mile SW of Duwamish Head across from a condominium that - oh! I can't
> remember now, 1374 Alki Avenue. It's an orange apartment building. It's in
> with a couple of other Surfbirds. That's it.
>
> 11:11 AM January 6 - This is Kraig Kemper reporting for January 6th. At 10:45
> AM Jim Beaudette and I observed one Rock Sandpiper, 3 Black Turnstones and 22
> Surfbirds just west of the Duwamish Head. Thank you.
>
> 2:53 PM January 7 - Hi!, This is Kathy, a volunteer at the Seattle Audubon
> Society. We had a phone call a short while ago from someone who said that
> there was a large white owl on his neighbor's roof on Capitol Hill and the
> address is 825 14th Avenue East, two blocks south of the water tower. Thank
> you.
>
> 1:03 PM January 8 - Hi!, this is Greb Toffic. This morning, oh about 11:30 or
> so, Eric Kohlwalchek(sp) and I went to Duwanish Head to seek the Rock
> Sandpiper which we easily found at the location that had previously reported
> across from 1374 Alki Avenue. It actually was a little bit further west of
> that, directly across from where there is some new construction of a small
> building being done. Easily found in with a group of 12 or so other rock
> shorebirds.
>
> 6:12 PM January 8 - This is Alan Grenon, 323-3979. In Kent on the north side
> of 208th Street out in the Kent Valley, just in that area near some Boeing
> Buildings, and north of the Kent Ponds Area there's been a flock of Canada
> Geese in December and again now that has one white bird among them. I haven't
> had time to stop and identify it, but it might be of interest that's the
> location where there was a Ross' Goose with Canada Geese a couple of winters
> ago. Correction: that would be north of 212th Street.
>
> 9:10 PM January 8 - Hello this is Linda Marsh. On the 8th of January at dawn
> I had a sighting with the ferry just leaving the north end of Vashon Dock
> which appeared to be a Smew. Rick Sanders is going to attempt to verify that
> sighting. The most obvious marking that struck me was an arc of black running
> diagonally backwards and downwards in a curve behind the shoulder which
> didn't fit with any of the waterbirds that I'm familiar with. The bird was
> largely white with fine black markings and looked like a small merganser
> except for the color.
>
> 9:14 PM January 8 - This is Linda Marsh. I reported a possible Smew sighting
> a few minutes ago but forgot to leave my phone number. It's (206) 463-2581.
>
> 10:30 PM January 8 - Hi! This is Tom Aversa at 782-7342. I today birded from
> Samish Flats down to Stilaguamish and I was looking for Snowy Owls. I found
> 17: 6 at the West 90, 2 at Samish River Crossing, 1 on Sunset (all those on
> Samish Flats), there were 2 at Best Road at McLain and there were 6 at Tom
> Lee Road down south of Stanwood. Otherwise nothing really notable. That Scrub
> Jay is still on Bayview-Edison -Second Street - Second Ave - whatever.
> Slate-colored Junco on Fir Island. Good luck!
>
> 7:20 AM January 9 - Vic Nelson. Yesterday I was at Ocean Shores and at the SW
> corner of the sewage treatment plant along the rocks, either along the road
> or along the plant revetment there was a Burrowing Owl. This was late
> yesterday afternoon January 8.
>
> [Messages checked at 8:15 PM January 9]
>