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Hi Tweets,
A quick note to relate some weekend highlights:
Beki and I got out on the Samish Flats on Saturday during the weekend =
break from the string of storm systems that marched through last week. =
Highlights included a beautiful, very dark Harlans Hawk pointed out to =
us by Bob Merrick at the West 90 in addition to a light morph =
Roughlegged plus 2 Northern Shrikes. One Peregrine Falcon on the Bayview =
Rd. south of Sunset Rd. and another out in a field north of Avon Allen =
Rd. with a dark morph Rough soaring and kiting above us. Highlight of =
the day was long scoped looks at a female Merlin approx. 100 yds. north =
of the intersection at Field and Thomas Rds. We watched her make one =
unsuccessful interception of a small flock of House Finches on the wing. =
We moved down the road another 50 yds., parked to scan the field to the =
west for Gyrs (no luck), and two minutes later had her come right over =
the van at about 10 ft. with fresh kill. She perched for lunch in a =
birch tree immediately off the road. Interesting how what had first =
appeared to be such a "cute" little falcon was transformed into an =
efficient and ferocious predator. This marks the fourth or fifth Merlin =
sighting I've had in the vicinity of this intersection.
Yesterday about 4:00, in downtown Bellingham at Railroad and Magnolia =
Streets, I noticed a flock of pigeons in a tight diversionary maneuver =
wheeling above the feed store. So I was on the lookout for whatever may =
have put them up. An immature Cooper's Hawk was doing that wild =
accipiter thing right in a sycamore tree in the median. It looked pretty =
beat up...tail feathers ragged and not any too buff. Wonder if it will =
make it through the winter.
All in all, a couple of remarkable encounters to mark the weekend.
Good luck!
Joe Mackie
jmackie at cc.wwu.edu
Bellingham=20
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<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Hi Tweets,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>A quick note to relate some weekend=20
highlights:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Beki and I got out on the Samish =
Flats on=20
Saturday during the weekend break from the string of storm systems that =
marched=20
through last week. Highlights included a beautiful, very dark Harlans =
Hawk=20
pointed out to us by Bob Merrick at the West 90 in addition to a light =
morph=20
Roughlegged plus 2 Northern Shrikes. One Peregrine Falcon on the Bayview =
Rd.=20
south of Sunset Rd. and another out in a field north of Avon Allen Rd. =
with a=20
dark morph Rough soaring and kiting above us. Highlight of the day was =
long=20
scoped looks at a female Merlin approx. 100 yds. north of the =
intersection at=20
Field and Thomas Rds. We watched her make one unsuccessful interception =
of a=20
small flock of House Finches on the wing. We moved down the road another =
50=20
yds., parked to scan the field to the west for Gyrs (no luck), and two =
minutes=20
later had her come right over the van at about 10 ft. with fresh kill. =
She=20
perched for lunch in a birch tree immediately off the road. Interesting =
how what=20
had first appeared to be such a "cute" little falcon was =
transformed=20
into an efficient and ferocious predator. This marks the fourth or fifth =
Merlin=20
sighting I've had in the vicinity of this intersection.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Yesterday about 4:00, in downtown =
Bellingham at=20
Railroad and Magnolia Streets, I noticed a flock of pigeons in a tight=20
diversionary maneuver wheeling above the feed store. So I was on the =
lookout for=20
whatever may have put them up. An immature Cooper's Hawk was doing that =
wild=20
accipiter thing right in a sycamore tree in the median. It looked pretty =
beat=20
up...tail feathers ragged and not any too buff. Wonder if it will make =
it=20
through the winter.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>All in all, a couple of remarkable =
encounters to=20
mark the weekend.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Good luck!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Joe Mackie</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT><FONT=20
size=3D2>jmackie at cc.wwu.edu</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Bellingham </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>
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