Day 4; Sunday, 15 February 1998 --
-- 10th Annual WOS Conference, Mt. Vernon, Skagit Co., Washington --

No program features today, just field trips. Highlights:

Skagit/Sammish Flats -- The real highlight was the confirmation of the
presence of the SNOWY OWL, not one, but two. Both birds were seen on a dike
at an area known as the 'East 90' and easily visible from the main road.
Where's that you wonder? Well... east of the 'West 90' of course '-) No
worries; I'd not heard reference to this particular '90' either. But it's
simple enough; DeLorme p.109, T35N, R3E, Sect.5, 1 mile west of Edison on
Bayview-Edison Road at the first hard left 90 degree turn. The owls were on
the dike on the north side of the road east of the house that sits off to the
NW from there with one flying around late afternoon / early evening. A
Prairie Falcon was also seen here. One wonders where these birds came from so
late in the winter. This area is birded so heavily during the winter months
that it is hard to imagine that they've gone overlooked this long. Another
interesting note is that one of these Snowy Owls has a yellow wing(?) tag,
thus one of the birds captured, banded, and tagged by Bud Anderson during last
winter's great invasion of this species. All five falcons are present and can
be found around the area although none of the conference field trips to the
area managed to get all 5 on the same day. Thanks to Jan & Keith Wiggers for
the Snowy Owl update and information for this field trip report.

North Whidby Island and Naval Air Station -- repeat trip as reported on Day 2
with pretty much the same compliment of birds.

Deception Pass boat trip -- I participated on this one. A delightful 5-hour
afternoon excursion under sunny skies and mostly light winds. The trip
through the Pass and under the bridge is quite an exquisite thrill, gorgeous
scenery and fast swirling currents. A Peregrine perched atop one of the
tallest tree snags at the cliff edge in the Pass in gorgeous sunlight wasn't a
bad touch either and conjured a vision of one being in sheer wilderness. Two
pairs of Marbled Murrelets just west of the bridge cooperated and provided
lengthy and excellent views. Bald Eagles were scattered throughout including
a pair already sitting atop their massive nest platform. Great Blue Herons
were gathered in groups of 16 (in the trees) and 25 more like stumps on the
shore. A River Otter seen munching down on either a sculpin or rockfish on
the rocky shoreline was a splendid delight.

The "Viking Star" skippered by Ken (Cap't Mac) McDonald is a delightful little
boat and perfect for up to 49 passengers wishing to experience this scenic
area here and around the San Juans without worries about getting seasick.
There was only about 14 or us today, so there was lots of room for everyone up
on the bow. Cap't Mac is very friendly and knowledgeable of the area, the
birds, whales, and other wildlife and clearly takes pride in this wonderful
area and sharing it with visitors. Special trips can be arranged for birders
and the best whale (orca) watching season from this vessel is in May and June.

owl prowl -- Although a seemingly good night for owls (mostly clear, light
winds), only two Saw-whets were located on this brief outing.

As of this evening, the total running conference field trip count list
currently stands at 123 species. Day 5 with WOS on the Skagit 'going to
Canada' on Monday looks like a full bus load and a lot of fun coming up.

Richard Rowlett (Pagodroma at aol.com)
(LIVE! -- from the 10th Annual WOS Conference, Mt. Vernon, WA)