The Washington Birdbox is a voice mailbox sponsored by the Washington
Ornithological Society. To leave messages about a notable sighting, or to
listen to messages from the last seven days, call (425) 454-2662 and follow
the prompts. Hal Opperman, system administrator (halop at accessone.com)
personal phone (425) 635-0503.

Please contact me (Phil Kelley) by phone or e-mail if you have any
corrections, comments or questions about this transcription.

Monday, November 1, 8:58 AM. Hello, this is Scott Atkinson with a report
from October 31st. Just after dawn I was at Washington Park. This is near
Anacortes, and looking through the telescope out onto Rosario Strait I had 1
dark phase and 1 intermediate phase NORTHERN FULMAR, apparently associated
with high winds. There was also a dark PHALAROPE way out in the middle that I
could not identify. It was probably a RED. At the Jensen Access, 15 TUNDRA
SWANS. That's all.

Monday, November 1, 10:00 AM. Hi, this is Doug. I'm calling from Ocean
Shores, 10:00 Monday morning, November 1st. I'm up here birding from New
Mexico with Bruce Neville. Anyway, we had the EURASIAN DOTTERAL at Smith
Point, rather, excuse me, Bill's Spit, at Bill's Spit this morning between
7:30 and 8:15 AM. It was low tide. It was associating with BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVERS and quite a few other shorebirds. Since The Washington Bird Finding
Guide doesn't have directions to Bill's Spit I can give you this. From the
base of Damon Point nead north. Continue north on Discovery. Turn right on
Catala, turn right on Gunderson. Turn right on Wakina Loop and eventually
make another right and to the end of Peninsula Court. And on the left side of
the court to the left of the rope driveway there is a trail that leads
through several pine trees and then you walk north a short distance to the
spit. Very easy to see. A MERLIN was making passes at the birds. They didn't
fly that far. There was a distant sand spits, but 7:30 to 8:15 AM this
morning, Monday, November 1st. Thanks.

Monday, November 1, 3:23 PM. My name is Brad Wilson, (253) 845-3216. Today I
also was at Ocean Shores and did see the EURASIAN DOTTERAL at Bill's Spit. It
was about 10:00 or so when I seen him on a low tide. Also about half hour
later at the intersection of Point Brown Ave and Marine View Drive was a PALM
WARBLER, right by the deli. I forget the name of the deli, but it was in the
scotch broom, in the only pine tree right by the deli, in the middle of a
bunch of scotch broom. And I went out to the end of the jetty and also
spotted SURFBIRDS as well as BLACK TURNSTONES, but no ROCK SANDPIPERS were
there that day. That's it, good luck and good birding.

Monday, November 1, 3:34 PM. This is Hal Opperman calling to forward a report
that appeared on Tweeters this afternoon. Yesterday, Sunday, October 31st,
Bud Anderson and 2 others discovered an EURASIAN KESTREL around 10:00 AM on
Chuckanut Drive, about 8/10th of a mile north of the Bow post office in
Skagit County. They observed it closely for around 15 minutes as it hunted in
a field by a large dairy barn, until it dropped down behind an embankment and
out of sight. They spent the rest of that day and all this morning looking
for it all over the Sammish Flats, but never found it again. But hopes are
high that it is still around some place. Thank you.

Monday, November 1, 9:03 PM. Tom Hicks (?) here, (360) 264-2462, reporting
for Monday, November 1st at Ocean Shores. I also saw the EURASIAN DOTTERAL at
Bill's Spit. It was about 10:00, about 2 hours after high tide.
(unintelligible due to background noise) It was a calm day. It was
associating with BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS and as the tide went out it tended to
leave the spit and go to the shoreline and work its way north. And that might
account for people losing track of it. I think it went quite a ways north.
Also, towards Westport, at the jetty, black, er, ROCK SANDPIPER, way out
there. In the Elk River delta area, near the bridge, a GREAT EGRET. And I
heard reports of as many as maybe 5 or 8 in the vicinity in recent days.

Tuesday, November 2, 9:04 AM. This is Dick Nelson at Point No Point, the
northeast tip of the Kitsap Peninsula. This morning I had the first ANCIENT
MURRELETS that I had seen this fall, a couple flocks flew by me on the beach.
There is also still a NORTHERN SHRIKE in the marsh behind the lighthouse,
occasionally, not every day. It is probably in the area someplace. And also
there is a PEREGRINE FALCON hanging around and 1 or 2 PARASITIC JAEGERS that
are still here sporadically. Thank you, good bye.

Tuesday, November 2, 11:00 AM. Hi, this is Steven Mlodinow. The EURASIAN
KESTREL is there, or is here, about 11:00 in the morning. Go past the spot
where it was previously located a short distance. You'll see a gravel road
going off to the right with a sign that says private road 4505. If you look
to the northeast there is a small houselike object kind of gray with a
silvery roof. In the yard there is a gong suspended from a wooded crossbar.
The bird was perching over that gong and feeding from it. Also, earlier where
we initially found it this morning by Colony, go past 4505 still heading
north on Chuckanut. Make a right on Colony Road or Colony Drive. Go to the 4
way stop and make another right. And the bird was feeding from wires at that
location. Good luck and good birding.

Tuesday, November 2, 5:18 PM. This is Barry Levine, (206) 526-8676, with an
update on the EURASIAN KESTREL as reported earlier by Steve Mlodinow. The
bird was seen this afternoon from about 3:15 to 4:00 along the gravel road
that Steve Mlodinow described. It is about 200 yards down the road from
Chuckanut Drive on a dirt berm that runs parallel to Chuckanut Drive. Good
luck and good birding.

Wednesday, November 3, 9:09 AM. Chris LeBar, (253) 272-1058, reporting from
Chuckanut Drive at 9:00 in the morning. There are a bunch of us up here and
the EURASIAN KESTREL is still being seen right where Dave had mentioned it
yesterday, 4505. It is a private road. There is a gong at a house with
various sculptures around it. That is where the bird is being seen at this
very moment. Thought I'd pass on the word. Thank you.

Wednesday, November 3, 11:51 AM. Craig Roberts calling. I'll be home tonight
at 503-815, I'm sorry, (503) 842-5782. I had the EURASIAN KESTREL this
morning between 8:30 and 10:30 predominantly around the residence that has
previously been mentioned along private road 4505, 1 mile north of Bow on
Chuckanut Drive. This is the house that has a lot of artsy things in the yard
and the bird perched on these fairly often. When last seen it was hovering
over the fields and gradually working its way out of view to the northwest
across the road from that house. I think it is an adult female. I had very
nice looks at it today and it has quite a bit of yellow in the series (?),
grayish on the nape and top of the head and some gray on the rump and base of
the tail and very bright rust/rufous back contrasting with dark primaries,
all of which lead me to think it is an adult female. Thanks. Bye.

Wednesday, November 3, 6:48 PM. Hi, this is Steven Mlodinow. Some people
noticed the KESTREL had a band on it this afternoon. That is because it was
banded today. The band did not preexist today. The bird was found to be
slightly thinner than normal, but otherwise healthy with no deformities or
anything else suggestive of previous captivity. And the bird is definitely an
immature. And so I think the banding folks have done us a service and may
also help us track this bird in the future. So, that's it. Good luck and good
birding.

Wednesday, November 3, 7:53 PM. This is Sharon Tuchon. 4 birders this morning
saw the EURASIAN DOTTERAL at Ocean Shores on the Game Range between 8:15 and
8:30. This is November 3rd, Wednesday.

Thursday, November 4, 6:47 AM. Hi, Craig Roberts calling. There is another
bird up in the Bow area that people should look for. There is an aberrant
gull that was along Chuckanut Drive about 2 miles south of Bow in an area
where there is small barn with a very steep, narrow pulloff where you can
potentially park. Other then that it is a terrible place to try to stop and
because of that I didn't get great looks at the bird. But it is pure white
with black wing tips, normal adult top part color. It looked like maybe a
THAYER'S GULL, a real striking bird. And thanks Steve for the update on the
KESTREL, and that it was an immature, that it was banded. Hopefully it will
stay around and hopefully the banders will publish some criteria on that.
Thanks.

Thursday, November 4, 11:04 AM, Good morning, this is Jason Starfire at (206)
369-7836. I'm presently looking at the EURASIAN DOTTERAL at the base of Damon
Point, across from the game range, at Ocean Shores. If you've already gone by
where the SNOWY PLOVERS were hear toward the game range. It is on the left
side of the canals. It is hanging out with BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER and BLACK
TURNSTONE and some DUNLIN. That's it. I haven't had a chance to do any other
birding today so maybe there will be another phone call later, hopefully.
Good luck and good birding.

Thursday, November 4, 11:53 AM. Hi, this is Mark Oberly, (206) 543-4144. The
EURASIAN KESTREL was first seen this morning, Thursday, 8:45 AM. It was on a
fence post west of Chuckanut Drive about 1/2 mile farther up the road,
farther north, up the road from where it was first reported. And, that
general area is about 8 miles from the Chuckanut Drive exit off Interstate 5.
And, people should be reminded to stop off on the shoulder rather than in the
middle of the road as the area is going to get pretty congested.

Thursday, November 4, 4:18 PM. Greetings, this is Steven Mlodinow. You'll
hear a report a couple messages down about an aberrant gull. Actually, he had
prolonged views of that from one of the side roads. It appears to be an
aberrant CALIFORNIA GULL. The body is entirely snowy white, excepting some
dusky streaking on the head and dark gray wing tips. The bill pattern and
structure is similar to the CALIFORNIA GULL. The birds size is also similar,
so I believe its actually a very odd looking and very dramatic CALIFORNIA
GULL. That's it. Good luck and good birding.

Thursday, November 4, 8:49 PM. Hi, this is Tom Aversa, 782-7342, with a
pretty mundane report, but we have to report on some other things besides
Eurasian vagrants. Anyway, at Montlake Fill this morning there was an
AMERICAN BITTERN and a NORTHERN SHRIKE and a YELLOW-SHAFTER FLICKER.

Friday, November 5, 5:59 PM. This is Bill Shelmerdine in Olympia, Washington
866-9106. And today, Friday, both the EURASIAN KESTREL at the Sammish Flats
area and the EURASIAN DOTTERAL at Ocean Shores were seen. The EURASIAN
KESTREL was seen along Chuckanut Drive to the north of the Colony Road area
and in the fields to the west of Chuckanut Drive. At about 8:45 this morning
the EURASIAN DOTTERAL was at Ocean Shores at the base of Damon Point on the
north side facing the marina area and was seen at about 3:00 to 3:30 this
afternoon. That's it. Good luck and good birding.

Friday, November 5, 9:29 PM. Hi, this is Carl Haney (425) 837-9293. I was
birding King County today and at the Kent Pond there was a TUNDRA SWAN, an
EURASIAN WIGEON, a hybrid EURASIAN/AMERICAN WIGEON, a PEREGRINE FALCON, and 2
NORTHERN SHRIKE. One adult flyby out of the property. The juvenile was
hanging around hunting near the center tower. And at Lake Sammamish State
Park there were 2 AMERICAN DIPPER along the river at the southeast end of the
park.

Saturday, November 6, 3:05 PM. Hello, This is Rick Romao, (206) 523-5831. The
EURASIAN KESTREL was seen this morning at 10:00 by about 30 people. The
reason I called it in was because I had called the box and nobody else, so I
though it would be polite. The bird was about 1/4 mile past the house with
the little gong think (?) to where it was previously seen to the left of the
road about 200 yard out in a field with a big sign Duck Gun Club or something
like that. Be aware the State Police is ticketing cars that pull over to the
side of the road on the shoulder. So if you go up there, there is a small
parking area by that gun club place or you should probably pull into one of
the side roads. Good luck.

Saturday, November 6, 4:10 PM. Hi, this is Jim Flynn at (206) 772-5568. Today
at the rendering plant in Tukwila there was a first winter GLAUCOUS GULL,
about 125 THAYER'S GULLS, and 2 HERRING GULLS. That's it. Thanks, bye bye.

Saturday, November 6, 4:22 PM. This is Dennis Duffy. This morning Ted
Peterson and I had a first winter GLAUCOUS GULL on the Edmonds waterfront.

Saturday, November 6, 4:59 PM. This report was received yesterday afternoon
from Michael Pryba, phone (206) 623-7798. That morning, November 5th, the
caller saw a single SNOW BUNTING at Brackets Landing Park, just north of the
Edmonds Ferry Dock, in brush along the beach north of the bathrooms. Also
seen offshore were 2 drake HARLEQUIN DUCKS, the first Harleys the caller had
seen in Edmonds. Thank you.

Saturday, November 6, 5:46 PM. Hi, this is Steven Mlodinow. Today Russell
Rogers, Hugh Revales, & I birded Port Townsend to Port Angeles. The highlight
of the day undeniably was an immature ARCTIC TERN at Point Wilson. It was
hanging around the marine lab jetty or platform. We had a crippling views for
a rather prolonged time and it actually at one point was perching on the
railing there. We also had about 13 ANCIENT MURRELETS in that area. At Ediz
Hook we had 1950 THAYER'S GULLS, 2 ROCK SANDPIPERS, and a WHIMBREL. At the
Three Crabs Restaurant there only about 5 EURASIAN WIDGEONS and a MARBLED
GODWIT. That's about it. Good luck and good birding.

Messages last checked 8:22 AM November 7, 1999.

Phil Kelley
Lacey, WA
scrbjay at aol.com

We were few and they were plenty. Now we are plenty and they are few.
Confucius