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

Transcribed by Franny Drobny, Seattle, Washington,
fdrobny at cairncross.com, phone (206) 286-1695 evenings. Please contact
me by e-mail if you have any corrections, comments, or questions.
Mailbox previously checked on Friday, September 18, 1998, at 5:11 p.m.

September 19, 1998, Saturday, 5:29 p.m. Hello, this is Dave Beaudette
(206) 365-2083. On the 19th of September, at the beach on Puget Sound
on the Snohomish/King County line, just south of Point Wells, were 1
CASPIAN TERN, 4 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, 2 LEAST SANDPIPERS, 1 SPOTTED
SANDPIPER, 2 WHIMBREL and 4 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER. The plover that I
could not identify earlier in the week could not be found. And at the
south end of the Kent Ponds was a juvenile SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, 5
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 1 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 1 GREATER YELLOWLEGS and 1
LEAST SANDPIPER. And from the Vashon Ferry was a single CASSIN'S AUKLET
on the water. The bird was seen at close range and also seen on two
different runs of that ferry about one-third of the way out of Vashon
Island headed for Fauntleroy. That's all for now. Bye.

September 19, 1998, Saturday, 8:37 p.m. Hello, this is Bruce Lebar from
Tacoma, Washington (253) 272-1058. Coming back from Bellingham today, I
stopped at the Everett Sewage Ponds and had 4 FRANKLIN'S GULLS. I
thought I'd let everybody know about that and good birding and good
luck. Bye.

September 19, 1998, Saturday, 9:33 p.m. Hi, this is Steven Mlodinow.
Today Jim Flynn, Sam Perry and I went to the Skagit Game Range in the
morning and then Whidbey Island in the afternoon. There was an
excellent variety of migrants at the game range this morning. The
highlight of which was a LEAST FLYCATCHER. Park at the boat launch
parking lot and walk out on the dike trail that leaves from the parking
lot, about 100 yards or so down in the willows was the LEAST FLYCATCHER.
On Whidbey, there was a CLARK'S GREBE at Penn Cove hanging out with many
WESTERN GREBES at the Kennedy Lagoon corner of the cove, and there were
some SURFBIRDS and BLACK TURNSTONES on the mussel bins. At Crockett
Lake at the northeast corner, there were approximately 25 PECTORAL
SANDPIPERS. In the southeast corner there was 1 late SEMIPALMATED
SANDPIPER among 100s of WESTERNS. Also, off of Cultus Bay, late in the
evening there was a flock of 10,000+ gulls, 5,000 or more of which were
CALIFORNIA GULLS. That's it. Good luck and good birding.

September 20, 1998, Sunday, 9:55 a.m. Hi, this is Alan Knue at (206)
706-2550. I'm calling to report a BLUE JAY at Discovery Park. It's
easiest to get to by parking in the north parking lot, going west on the
bike trail is a paved black-topped road. It essentially goes up the
hill curving to the left and, when you get towards the top of the hill,
you will cross the loop trail marked by an orange-cone. Just go beyond
the intersection with the loop trail and in that area is where the BLUE
JAY was between 9:00 and 9:15 this morning, Sunday, September 20.
Thanks and good birding.

September 20, 1998, Sunday, 12:44 p.m. Hi, this is Alan Knue at (206)
706-2550. An update on the BLUE JAY. I went back to Discovery Park to
try to locate it again, and I was unable to find it. It is very vocal,
so it may still be around Discovery Park. It was hanging around with a
group of STELLAR'S JAYS that appeared to be moving through the park, so
it may have also moved beyond the park into lower Magnolia. Also, near
the south bluff in that large field complex, there was an immature
LEWIS' WOODPECKER and an immature NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD feeding in
several of the Hawthornes in the area. Lots of great birds around. If
you get a chance, make it to Discovery Park today. That's it. Bye.

September 20, 1998, Sunday, 4:48 p.m. This is Steve Giles calling.
(206) 783-9346 with a report from Montlake Fill today, Sunday, from
about 8:00 to 11:00. There was a good deal of activity today all during
the time I was there, approximately 200 VAUX'S SWIFTS circling overhead
in the area of the fill, 10 AMERICAN PIPITS, 1 WESTERN MEADOWLARK, 10-15
LINCOLN'S SPARROWS, a good number of WARBLERS, upwards of a 100
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS of both MYRTLE and AUDUBON'S, 10 ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLERS and 1 PALM WARBLER. The PALM WARBLER was about 10:15 at the
main pond on the east side in the clump of willows and shrubs.

September 20, 1998, Sunday, 7:04 p.m. Hello, this is Scott Atkinson. I
just wanted to report the apparent relocation of the LEAST FLYCATCHER on
the site described yesterday by Steve Mlodinow, just about 100 yards
down the dike trail from the boat launch at the Skagit WMA. I had the
bird at about 2:00 p.m. today. It's a small EMPID. Had a smallish
bill, very bold eye-ring, and suggested HAMMOND'S in terms of
proportion. Had a real short tail and relatively large head. But the
bird was pale in the underparts as opposed to yellow as one gets with a
molted HAMMOND's at this time of year. I never heard the bird give a
single "whit" note that is the typical call, but I did have it twice
give a string of notes which were appropriate for a LEAST. It was
accompanied by a HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, 2 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS,
various WARBLERS of 5 species, several HERMIT THRUSH and numbers of
CHICKADEES, KINGLETS, and BUSHTITS in the low willow growth there along
the trail. In other parts of the loop trail further beyond that, I had
several more calling HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS, my first WHITE-THROATED
SPARROW of the season. 2 PEREGRINES, and many other migrant birds,
especially raptors and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. That's all.

September 21, 1998, Monday, 6:16 a.m. This is Stewart Wexler (206)
526-1980. Yesterday, Sunday, September 20, at 4:20 p.m., I saw a
NASHVILLE WARBLER of which there are no records for September in King
County, in Seattle, the Birding in Seattle/King County, travelling with
a flock of ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS on Queen Anne hill on the greenbelt
on the east side, just east of Fifth and Blaine. And then ten minutes
later I did see 3 TURKEY VULTURES travelling over Queen Anne hill.

September 21, 1998, Monday, 6:55 a.m. Hi, this is Dave Beaudette (206)
365-2083. All these reports for King County and September 20th. At the
beach at Dash Point State Park in southwest King County were 1 juvenile
FRANKLIN'S GULL and 1 HORNED LARK. At the Clay Street marsh in Auburn,
1 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 4 LONG-BILLED DOWTICHERS, 5 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, 3
LEAST SANDPIPERS, 1 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER and 1 COMMON SNIPE. And
following Alan Knue's report for Discovery Park, the LEWIS' WOODPECKER
was easily found in the afternoon in a small dead-topped dogwood at the
east end of the thicket that runs along the north end of the south
meadow. And at the sand dune at south meadow was a LAPLAND LONGSPUR.
That's all for now. Good bye.

This transcription completed by Franny Drobny on Monday, September 21,
1998, at 12:24 p.m.