Hello Joe Nancy and Tweeters,
It certainly was a beautiful day yesterday in the Samish Flats and seeing
all the nice birders what we met still looking for the Eurasian
Kestrel.After you and Nancy left ,we stayed mostly all day lookig for the
Eurasian Kestrel , but i did sneak away for a short time when Marvin was so
nice to show me the Barn Owl close up,what was a treat for me.Vicki and i
was a little disorientated to find the spot where the T was because we was
standing already around 8.oo AM on a different erea. So we missed you also
driving around, but there is always onother day and i believe the Kestrel
will stay all winter and established himself verry good with this good
habitat for raptures. Where out would he go now?
We least saw 40 different Red-tailed Hawks in all kind of plumages and 6
Rough-legged Hawks,2 Prairie Falcon.1Peregrine Falcon, 1 Coopers Hawk,And
many Bald Eagles on the dike and also hundred of Dunlin's the short time
we did birding beside staying mostly all day for waiting for Eurasian
Kestrel to show. It was so nice seeing both of you and special seeing you
Joe so exited on you 5 Falcon Day.Congratulation and all have a safe going
in to 2ooo


Ruth Sullivan
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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