Transcribed by Christy Anderson
christya at gte.net

Please contact me by e-mail if you have any corrections, comments or
questions. My apologies to anyone (or place) whose name I have massacred.


Sun, 1/4, 3:25 pm. Hello this is Dave Beaudette, 206-365-2083. At 10:48 am
the BLUE JAY was seen with about 5 STELLER'S JAYS in the trees in front of
1066 NE 106th St. in Seattle. From Northgate Way, head south on Roosevelt
NE, then left one block on NE 105th St., then left one block on 11th Ave
NE, then left again and the jay spot is immediately on your right. No need
to bother the people who live there, just park safely across the street and
wait, and hopefully you'll have good luck. I waited about 30 seconds before
I saw the jay. There is another bird that should be on the Birdbox is the
SCRUB JAY that's been on Queen Anne hill in Seattle. Please let us know if
you have any information on this bird.

Sun, 1/4, 3:17 pm. Hi this is Carl Haynie. Between 10:30 and 12:30 today,
1/4, Richard Rowlett and I worked a good piece of the farmland that's
located at the SE corner of Woodinville-Duvall Road and West Snoqualmie
Valley Road. We did not see the Clay-colored Sparrow that was reported
there 2 days ago. But we did relocate the sparrow flock that I'd seen the
day before well out into the farmer's field along a creek located maybe 400
yds east of West Snoq. Valley Rd. and 200 yds south of Woodinville Rd. The
land was not fenced or posted and we assumed it was OK to walk out there.
In the flock today were numerous JUNCOS, GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS, and SONG
SPARROWS plus one SLATE-COLORED JUNCO, 2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, one
LINCOLN'S SPARROW, and one WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

Sat. 1/3, 5:02 pm Hi this is Carl Haynie. Between 3:15 and 4:00 pm today,
1/3, I found 2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS in the vicinity where Gene Hunn
found the Clay-Colored, and one White-Throated. I did not see the
Clay-colored, but a COOPER'S HAWK was patrolling the ditch near where most
of the sparrows were. The first WHITE-THROAT was in the brush on the south
side of Woodinville-Duvall Rd., just east of its intersection with West
Snoqulamie V Rd. The other WHITE-THROAT was where Gene had described, about
100-200 yds south of the junction oft these 2 roads along the east side of
West Snoq. Valley Rd. The second bird was more striking and contrasty than
the first, and was in the company of many JUNCOS, several GOLDEN-CROWNS,
and SONG SPARROWS. By contrast, the first bird was with one SPOTTED TOWHEE
and one SONG SPARROW, but it was pretty vocal.

Sat, 1/3, 4:20 pm Hi this is Steve Mlodinow. Today I birded along the
Snohomish River bottom between Everett and Snohomish. The bird of the day
was undoubtedly a female SCAUP/TUFTED DUCK HYBRID, it might have been an
immature male. It is located along Lowell-Larimer Road, that is the road
that goes from Lowell the neighborhood in Everett at the end of 41st St.
towards Snohomish. The bird is on a small farm pond on the left side of the
road, the pond is just before a red barn. On the right side just before you
get to the pond and the barn, there is a white sign that says the Wilson
Glen Gyle Farm, it's a fairly small sign so you need to be paying attention
for it. This is before you actually leave Everett. The bird has a short
tuft, it has a very dark back, pale sides. darkish chest, and has a typical
tufted duck bill. But has a crest (?) around its face like a female Greater
Scaup would have. Other highlights included 2 REDHEAD with 1000 RING-NECKS
and LESSER SCAUP, at the Snohomish Sewage Pond, and a HARLAN'S HAWK just
south of I-9 on Snohomish Larimer Rd near Snohomish. That's it. GLAGB.

Sat, 1.3, 2:48 pm. Hi this is Steve Hampton again 253-564-5014. This
morning Ruth Sullivan and I took 2 1/2 hours, but we relocated the adult
SLATY-BACKED GULL in the Port of Tacoma area. We never did get to see the
primaries good in flight, but the head looks excellent for this species.
With a close view you'll see light brown, pencil thin streaking, and the
dark smudge around a pale gold eye. And it's a darker mantle than any
Western gull in Washington. The bird was found on a rooftop about a block
north of the Goglehete (?) Wetlands, and moves around with the other gulls
there.

Fri, 1/2, 6:51 pm. This is Wilson Cady. 360-835-5947. I checked at the
Washougal Sewage Lagoon today in Clark County. The BLACK PHOEBE is still
there. I went on down to Vancouver Lake, and there were at least 2
RED-NECKED GREBES, 2 EARED GREBES, one BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, a
PEREGRINE FALCON and 3 BARN SWALLOWS. On the 12/29 Christmas Bird Count,
there was one RED-SHOULDERED HAWK at the Cardy Unit of the Ridgefield
Refuge, we had 23 GREAT EGRETS on the count, and 440 SANDHILL CRANES, also
had 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT.

Fri, 1/2, 6:34 pm. Hello this is Craig Kempher, 206-789-9255 reporting for
Friday, 1/2 having birded Skagit County today. 9:30 am at the Skagit
Wildlife Management area, I relocated the GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE along with
one AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, several LINCOLN'S SPARROWS and a SAVANNAH
SPARROW. On the Samish Flats this afternoon, I found all 5 Falcons, one
AMERICAN KESTREL, 3 PEREGRINE, 3 MERLIN, one PRAIRIE FALCON, at the
intersection of Bayview-Edison Rd and Sullivan, and the GYRFALCON, a
gray-phase adult southeast of Sunset and Farm-to-Market Rd. on a fence
post. I ended the day at the West 90 where I found 2 SHORT-EARED OWLS,
south along the north-south fence line.

Fri, 1/2, 5:28 pm. Hi this is Steve Hampton at 253-564-5014. Reporting an
apparent SLATY-BACKED GULL at the Port of Tacoma area. Viewed from the
Goglehete (?) Wetlands looking across the railroad tracks toward the blue
tower/silo. The bird is extremely dark mantled, so you'll know it when you
see it.

Fri, 1/2, 3:50 pm. Hello this is Gene Hunn, reporting on a CLAY-COLORED
SPARROW and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW in a flock of (?) TOWHEES south of
Woodinville-Duvall Rd. along with Snoqualmie Valley Rd. between 100-200 yds
south of that intersection. on the east side of Snoq. Valley Rd. Look for
the large sparrow flock mostly GOLDEN-CROWNED, SONG, and some LINCOLN'S,
WHITE-CROWNED, etc. that's moving through the hedgerows along the ditch of
the road and between the fields. I'm at 524-8112.

Fri, 1/2, 8:01 am. Paul HIcks here. 360-264-2462. 12/31 in the Samish
Flats, Bob Merrick and others had 4 falcons, no gyr, but there was a
PRAIRIE FLACON at the West 90, and there were 3 PEREGRINES in the area
including one on Farm-to Market Rd at the 2nd overhanging tree. In the Game
Range, Skagit Headquarters, we saw the GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE about 10:30, it
was seen at 9:00 and it was right at the footbridge.

Thurs, 1/1, 9:52 pm. Hi this is Steve Hampton, visiting birder from
California. at 253-564-5014. The last few days there's been a strange
HYBRID SAPSUCKER up at 3,000 feet and this bird has no black on the breast.
It would pass for a tegetee (?) in California. It's 15 ft from the hot tub
at Trollhausen (?) Ski Lodge, this is off exit 52, the road to Stampede
Pass, about 2/3's of a mile in after the ski park.

Thurs, 1/1, 1:13 pm Hi this is Steve Mlodinow. (Couldn't make out name) and
I went up to the Stillaguamish River Delta and the bird of greatest note
was a GOLDEN EAGLE an immature bird at the end of Bow Rd. just to the south
standing in the wet field. Also there was the most impressive flock of
DUNLIN I've ever seen with at least 40,000 birds and potentially as high as
100,000 birds in that field. Oddly there were no other shorebirds to be
seen there.

Thurs, 1/1, 11:25 am, Hi this is Dave Beaudette, 206-365-2083. On 1/1 went
birding today at Spencer Island and the vicinity of Snohomish County with
Dennis Duffey. At 8:15 the AMERICAN TREE SPARROW was seen with DARK-EYED
JUNCOS in blackberries on the dike trail just south of the bridge where you
enter Spencer Island. And at a second AMERICAN TREE SPARROW or possibly the
same bird was seen near the public parking lot, along the main road
alongside the sewage plant, and also an OLDSQAW was seen in the small pond
just south of Dagmar's Marina. This site is alongside the road on the way
into the Everett Sewage Treatment plant area, and Spencer Island.

Thurs, 1/1, 10:16 am. The following report was received on Monday, 12/28,
at 8:23 pm. This is Bob Norton from near Port Angeles. Today I located the
GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE at the Skagit Wildlife Area, at exactly the spot
mentioned previously. Some of the cornfield was flooded and waterproof
boots are almost essential. A long wait was necessary in the intermittent
rain. Today was a hunting day. I presume there are non-hunting days which
would be better days to look for the bird, as guns were going off all
morning in the fields just to the west.

Mon, 12/29, 6:53 Hi, Scott Downes 361-7073. Today at the Skagit Game Range
at approx. 1 pm I was able to relocate the immature SWAMP SPARROW. It was
actively chipping in the bush and appeared at the top of the second right
hand access point past the grove of alders for about 5 min. Probably about
15 min. later was able to watch it flying across the canal and chipping
again. The chipping would probably be your best clue to find the location
of the bird. Did not get a chance to look for the Waterthrush. But the
Swamp Sparrow was present until at about 1:50 this afternoon.