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> From: Joe Mackie <jmackie at cc.wwu.edu>
> To: tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Sunday on the Samish Flats
> Date: Monday, December 27, 1999 8:27 AM
>
> Dear Tweets,
>
> Yesterday, Nancy Taylor and I had an extraordinary day on the Samish
Flats.
> Incredible birds, and great mix of birders out there chasing the sky.
When I
> realized that the several days of fog had lifted in the morning, I called
> Nancy and we began to dream out loud of having that fantasy 6 falcon day.
> With a new report of a recent sighting of the Eurasian Kestrel, it seemed
> like a real possibility. We made a beeline to the flats from Bellingham
and
> arrived about 9:30 on the Bayview - Edison Rd. at the spot reported by
Don
> McCall via Bud Anderson. We found the Prairie Falcon, a Peregrine, AND
the
> Eurasian Kestrel all within one 180 degree sweep of the scope. The
kestrel
> was on the ground sitting on a dirt clod about 150 yds. straight out at
the
> western edge of the plowed field. We were elated at our good fortune.
After
> some modest high-fiving, we looked at each other and realized we were
half
> way to a 6 falcon day, in about 15 minutes! We quickly went down to the
> D'Arcy Rd. blueberry farm where we picked up the American Kestrel pair.
> Another half mile down D'Arcy, we had a beautiful Merlin on a fencepost
> doing that falcon tai chi stretching thing in the morning sunlight. Bout
> this time we began to feel cocky, which was soon mediated by feelings of
> guilt...this was too easy! But then we figured, remember all those hours
and
> days of roaming the flats in gales...besides, somebody's got to do it,
might
> as well be us. We got over it pretty quickly. Then we blitzed over to the
> Field Rd. 90, and whoa and behold, out in the field on the fencepost sat
a
> large, grey raptor, preening in the sun! As we were setting up scopes,
Jim
> Flynn and friends from the Skagit Audubon CBC pulled up. Nancy and I were
> already claiming a 6 falcon day. Unfortunately, as we began to scope the
> perched bird, it decided to fly...revealing himself to be not a
Gyrfalcon,
> but a male Northern Harrier! Dang! Well, that would have been too easy. I
> mean, 6 falcons in 30 minutes? So we decided to settle for five, a first
for
> Nancy.
>
> Through Jim, we heard a rumor that a Gyr had been seen at the west 90, so
we
> circled back, catching up with the Skagit CBC threesome. It was there we
had
> one the best finds of the day. First, Jim found 2 Barn Owls. Then we
picked
> up a dark buteo soaring out by the dike. After some quick review, we
> realized we had a beautiful immature dark-morph Rough-legged. It would be
> great if folks might double-check the i.d. on this bird (Bud?). We heard
at
> least one reliable report of a gyrfalcon, so Nancy and I did some pretty
> serious combing until about 2:00 when we had to get back to B'berg. While
we
> didn't find that sixth falcon species, we did have the five, including 5
> individual Peregrines (including one immature raising havoc on the hunt
> among Dunlin and Starlings at the mouth of the Samish River). With the
sun
> out, a brisk northerly clearing the air, and just scads of raptors up and
> about, it was a classic magical Samish Flats day. And it was really great
to
> see birding friends from over the past years. Ruth, did you find that gyr
> after we left?
>
> Good birding to all,
> Joe Mackie
> jmackie at cc.wwu.edu
> Bellingham