Hello, Tweets

Sorry for the delayed report. Ann van der Geld and I took off for the
Skagit early yesterday morning in the pouring rain. It was a little better
up on the flats, but the rain didn't really stop until 1330 and then only
for a short while. By the time we hit I-5 to return, it was pouring again.

On the Samish flats, just before Chuckanut Drive goes up the hillside, we
saw the two peregrines of the day. One was chasing a large flock of dunlin
back and forth over the fields, then, evidently not catching one, it went
to a utility pole. Soon, another peregrine flew by the general area, for
the most part ignoring the one on the pole, and flew across the road and
the fields to the south. The pole peregrine eventually went off to harrass
dunlins some more, but out of our sight towards the bay. That was it for
large falcons.

The trip was primarily done from the truck due to the heavy rains. On
Field Road we twice saw the same American kestrel, quite bedraggled and
content to sit on the fence post and a pole in the field. That was it for
falcons.

Also seen were the following:

6 northern harriers (1 adult, 1 imm male, and four "brown" birds)
17 red-tailed hawks
4 rough-legged hawks
25 bald eagles (19 adults, 6 imm)
21 great blue herons
8 ostriches
3 black-crowned night herons (at the pond on Fir Island)

Thousands of ducks, mostly pintails, mallards, and wigeon, with a small
percentage of shovelers

Tundra/trumpeter swans were here and there on both the Samish and Skagit
flats; thousands of snow geese were right next to Fir Island Road on the
south side in the fields (ca. 1400).

Large flocks of blackbirds and starlings everywhere (so it seemed) also
juncos along the roadsides (but, as I said, we didn't get out of the car
much).

No water birds of note at all, such as black brant, alcids, grebes, etc.,
but we were away from the open water most of the time and didn't drive the
dike on Samish because of the heavy rains.

Good luck for better weather this weekend.

Cheers, Diann

Diann MacRae
Bothell
tvulture at halcyon.com