Transcribed by Chris Hill
cehill at u.washington.edu
phone: (425) 258-3680

The Washington BirdBox is a voice mailbox sponsored by the Washington
Ornithological Society. To leave a message about a notable sighting, or
to listen to the most recent messages, call (425) 454-2662 and follow
the prompts.

[first transcription since the box went back on line]

Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

10-20-97, 8:22 a.m. Hi, this is Steve Mlodinow. Yesterday, I birded
around Snohomish County with Jim Flynn and Julio [? sounds like Bla ?].
Fairly slow; did have a FRANKLIN'S GULL at the Everett Sewage Ponds and a
TRUMPETER and TUNDRA SWAN flying over the sewage ponds and a couple
JAEGERS on the journey from Edmonds to Kingston and back, one of which was
a juvenal PARASITIC and one of which was unidentified. And nine
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE at Spencer Island, and that's about it. Good luck and
good birding.

10-19-97, 8:19p.m. Hi, this is Dave Beaudette at 206.365.2083. Today in
Clallam County I had a juvenile SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER at the horse pond,
along the Three Crabs Road near Sequim. This pond is about .2 mile from
the Three Crabs Restaurant. The bird was there at 1:22 p.m. Bye.

10-18-97 9:49 p.m. Hi, Dave [couldn't make out last name], 206.723.4742.
A Seattle Audubon field trip to Whidbey and Port Townsend today turned up
a brown GYRFALCON hunting ducks at Crockett Lake on Whidbey Island. Also
of note a PARASITIC JAEGER on the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry, and at
Swantown, there are two EARED GREBES, a PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER, good
numbers of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, an early ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, a RUDDY
TURNSTONE and several BLACK TURNSTONES. Good luck.

10-18-97 9:39pm Hi, this is Dave Beaudette at 206.365.2083. This
report for Oct 18 (Saturday). Between 10 and 11 a.m. today and adult
LITTLE GULL in winter plumage was seen in a flock of about 40 BONAPARTE'S
GULLS. The bird was seen just south and off to the southwest of Rosario
Head and was in both Island and Skagit counties. Delorme Atlas p 94, a-3.
Also seen just to the southeast were two BLACK TURNSTONES. Thanks.

10-18-97 9:28 pm Hi, this is Jim Flynn at 206.772.5568. I led a trip for
Ranier Audubon up to Sequim and Dungeness today. There was one PACIFIC
GOLDEN PLOVER at Dungeness Spit, in the dune grass about equal with where
the 1/2 mile marker is on the spit. At Three Crabs there were at least
one EURASIAN WIGEON and on HYBRID. At John Wayne Marina there was an
immature FRANKLIN'S GULL and an immature PARASITIC JAEGER.

10-18-97, 7:16pm. Hi, this is STEVE MLODINOW. CASEY BEACHEL [sp.] and I
went out to Ocean Shores and Tokeland and Bay Center today. At the Game
Range spit there were two PACIFIC and one AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, a couple
LAPLAND LONGSPURS, a PEREGRINE FALCON. At the pond at Damon Point there
were no shorebirds, [but] there were 20 or so LAPLAND LONGSPURS. At the
Sewage ponds there was a PECTORAL SANDPIPER, and at Bay Center there was
no SNOWY EGRET that we could find, but two or three GREAT EGRETS, a flock
of 50 or so GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and one LESSER YELLOWLEGS and about 400
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. Out at Tokeland, there were 200 more BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVERS, 7 LONG-BILLED CURLEWS, 3 RED KNOTS. Lastly, the GODWIT flock was
near the mouth of the North River along the North side of Willapa Bay:
about 260 MARBLED GODWITS and about 7 WILLETS. That's it - good luck and
good birding.

10-18-97 6:56am. Hi, this is Dave Beaudette at 206.365.2083. This report
for Friday, October 17th and for the 4:05 run of the Fauntleroy-Vashon
ferry on Puget sound. At the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal was a female
plumaged HARLEQUIN DUCK. This bird had a wire projecting up from the edge
of the right scapulars, indicating a possible radiotransmitter. This bird
also had a red band on its left leg. In mid sound, a flock of 10 BROWN
PELICANS passed in front of the ferry. There were 8 immatures and 2
adults or subadults. Also in mid sound a single FORK-TAILED STORM PETREL
and a flock of about 60 DUNLIN.

10-17-97 12:22 pm. This is Bob Sundstrom, 762.4327 reporting for bird
seen November [sic] 15th. There is still a single CATTLE EGRET near
Satsop. Take Keyes [sp.] Road south from highway 8 to Wendell Slough road
(that's about 1/2 a mile) and go about 1/2 mile east on Wendell Slough
road. The single CATTLE EGRET was with a herd of Holsteins. One SNOWY
EGRET, as others have reported, was still present along the Bay Center
road along the Palix [sp.] River, about 15 miles south of South Bend. It
was seen both within about 1/4 mile of 101 on some ditches out in the
pasture as well as further west along the Palix, flying along the river,
about as far west as the oyster farming buildings. There was also a
CLARK'S GREBE in the Palix river vicinity. There were THAYER'S GULLS, and
there were GREAT EGRETS both on the Palix river and near the mouth of the
Elk River, further to the north. That's all for now. Thanks.

10-16-97 8:14pm. Hi, this is Dave Beaudette at 206.365.2083. Today,
October 16th, I took the 4:05 p.m. ferry from Fauntleroy/West Seattle to
Vashon. In mid-channel was a single FORK-TAILED STORM PETREL, and in
flight at the south end of LAKE ISLAND were three WHITE PELICANS.

10-16-97 5:14 pm. I'm Russel Wallin reporting that at this morning at
7:50 the SHORT-EARED OWL was again seen on the west side of the main pond
at the Montlake Fill. That's it.

10-16-97 2:51 pm. This is Rusty Hazard 425.477.0123. On October 15th I
had a VEERY hit my window in the Newcastle area. I was able to revive the
bird and it flew away.

10-15-97 10:52pm Hi, this is Dave Beaudette at 206.365.2083. Today, Oct.
15th, I took the 4:30 afternoon ferry run from Edmonds to Kingston and
back. At the Edmonds ferry terminal were three COMMON TERNS and just
south was a PARASITIC JAEGER. In mid sound were two FORK-TAILED STORM
PETRELS, and seen from the Kingston Ferry terminal were two COMMON TERNS,
one FORSTER'S TERNS, and two PARASITIC JAEGERS.

10-15-97 8;36 p.m. Hi, this is Vic Nelson at Point No Point at the
Northeast tip of the Kitsap peninsula. Today, wednesday, Oct 15th, I had
28 BROWN PELICANS flying into the sound, a couple FORK-TAILED STORM
PETRELS, 1 POMARINE JAEGER juvenile flying out of the sound, one SOOTY
SHEARWATER flying out, and one RED PHALAROPE.

10-15-97 2:20pm This report is being posted for Brian Bell, who sent it by
e-mail. Brian's phone number is 425.485.8058. Yesterday at midday the
SNOWY EGRET was still present along Bay Center Dike Road along the Palix
river. The bird was close to town, perched along a pier railing, along
with about 30 GULLS. It then flew back upriver. Four GREAT EGRETS were
also present along the river. Thanks.

10-15-97 12:35 pm. Hi y'all, this is Nancy Hunn from the Seattle Audubon
office. A woman from Bainbridge called and reported seeing 7 WHITE
PELICANS fly by today and a single brown pelican. She lives at Rockaway
Beach looking back towards the Smith tower.

10-15-97 6:02 am. Hi, this is Dave Beaudette at 206.365.2083. On Oct
14th I birded the Vashon ferry, Southworth ferry in Kitsap and King
Counties. Just north of the Fauntleroy ferry terminal was an adult
PELICAN. Between Fauntleroy and Vashon were 10 FORK-TAILED STORM PETRELS
and 2 ANCIENT MURRELETS. Between Vashon and Southworth, in a large flock
of BONAPARTE'S GULLS, was a juvenile SABINE'S GULL. Also seen on the
entire ferry crossing were about 10 RED PHALAROPES and about 15 RED-NECKED
PHALAROPES. All these were observed between 11a.m. and 2 p.m. In the
late afternoon I took the Edmonds-Kingston ferry with Dennis Duffy. Seen
were 8 FORK-TAILED STORM PETRELS, and at the Kingston ferry terminal were
two COMMON TERNS and four PARASITIC JAEGERS. Thank you.

10-14-97 9:39 pm. Hi, this is Phil Davis from Maryland. At Point Alki
today there were two ANCIENT MURRELETS that Steve Mlodinow reported the
other day there. I scanned the waterfront and counted 34 FORK-TAILED
STORM PETRELS. This is at about noontime. I stopped at the Everett
sewage treatment pond and saw two FRANKLIN'S GULLS and did not find the
BLACK HEADED GULL. Thanks to the Seattle Birders. I'll file a trip
report when I get back home.

10-14-97 1:16 p.m. Hi, this is Tom Aversa here to report a SHORT-EARED
OWL at the Montlake Fill yesterday on the 13th.

10-14-97, 8:09 a.m. Hi, this is Vic Nelson at Point No Point at the
northeast end of the Kitsap Peninsula. Just to bring you some updates on
the FORK-TAILED STORM PETRELS, on saturday I had over 80 at one time and
estimated there were hundreds of them going by. Sunday I had 60 as a
maximum number. This is for about a five minute count of birds in the
area. Monday I had 15, and so far this morning I've seen a couple. It
seems like the middle of the day is the most abundant time for them.
There's also two or three PARASITIC JAEGERS in the area and a fair number
of BONAPARTE'S GULLS and some MEW GULLS and HEERMAN'S GULL, and an
occasional ANCIENT MURRELET is also being seen now. Thank you. Good bye.

10-14-97 6:52 am. Hi this is Gene Rillis [sp?] in Tacoma. On the 5:35
ferry run from Point Defiance in Tacoma to the southern end of Vashon
Island there was one FORK-TAILED STORM PETREL last night, towards the
Vashon side. On the piers on the Vashon side there was also a HEERMAN'S
GULL and what looked like a nice WESTERN GULL, and midway in the crossing
there was a flock of about [couldn't make out] hundred BONAPARTE'S GULLS.
That's it. Good luck and good birding.

10-13-97 11:58p.m. Michael Priba [sp?]. It's good to have the Bird Box
back. Just adding to a host of reports from Steve Mlodinow and others.
Today, on the Vashon Island ferry about halfway between Fauntleroy and
Vashon Island there were at least 10 FORK-TAILED STORM PETRELS flying
around, mostly cirling around big pods of gulls. Thanks.

10-13-97 9:32 p.m. Hi, this is Jim Flynn at 206.772.5566 Today in
Dumas [sp?] Bay in Federal Way there was one PARASITIC JAEGER, a
light-phase bird, and yesterday, in the same place there was a FRANKLIN'S
GULL. Thanks, and bye-bye.

10-13-97 9:32 a.m. Hi, this is Steve Mlodinow again. I forgot to report
birds from Saturday. Saturday, there were 5 FRANKLIN'S GULLS at the
Everett Sewage Ponds, the BLACK-HEADED GULL was still present at the
sewage pond, and, thanks to Vic Nelson and Ted Peterson I got out to see
FORK-TAILED STORM PETRELS at [can't make out], of which there were 22.
Sunday, I heard from Russell Rogers that there were also 16 off of Alki in
King County, and also on Saturday from Vic Nelson there were 24
FORK-TAILED STORM PETRELS off Point No Point. That's it - good luck and
good birding, everyone.

10-13-97 9:30 a.m. Well, welcome back, Bird Box! This is Steve Mlodinow,
and it's October 13th. Yesterday Jim McInerny, Stuart McKay and I went
out to Whidbey Island and then came back through Fir Island and Stanwood.
It was one of the more spectacular days of birding I've had in Washington.
We had 116 species the highlights of which were as follows: at Colcis
[sp?] Bay, at the southern tip of Whidbey Island, we had 2 PARASITIC
JAEGERS, a FORSTER'S TERN and 2 FORK-TAILED STORM PETRELS. Along the edge
of Useless Bay, there were 27+ LAPLAND LONGSPURS, 1 PARASITIC JAEGER, 1
FRANKLIN'S GULL, and a dead, freshly eaten FORK-TAILED STORM PETREL.
There was also a VAUX'S SWIFT. On the ferry crossing from Keystone to
Port Townsend and back, we had 10 FORK-TAILED STORM PETRELS, mostly on the
Port Townsend side, and a BROWN PELICAN in Port Townsend. At Fort Casey
State Park, near Crockett Lake, there was a White-fronted Goose. At
Hastie Lake road, on the west side of Whidbey Island, there were two
ANCIENT MURRELETS; at Swantown there was a PECTORAL SANDPIPER. At the Oak
Harbor sewage treatment pond, on the seaplane base at Oak Harbor, there
was an EARED GREBE and another FRANKLIN'S GULL. On Fir Island, between
the north arm access and the [] access in a plowed field along with
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, there were 12 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS, 3 AMERICAN
GOLDEN PLOVERS, and a RUDDY TURNSTONE. And the six BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT
HERONS are back at their usual roost on Fir Island, and at the GOLDEN
PLOVER spot we also had four LAPLAND LONGSPURS flying overhead. Last
week, south Stanwood at the end of at Bow Road there was another PACIFIC
GOLDEN PLOVER in with a flock of BLACK BELLIES, and
another LAPLAND LONGSPUR. Also, the first SWAN of the season,
unidentified as to species, was present there, along with thousands of
SNOW GEESE. That's it. Good luck and good birding, and welcome back
everybody.

[messages last checked 10-20-97 at ~2pm]