> Hi Tweets -
>
> I've only been bird watching on the Samish Flats for a few years but this
> past Saturday we saw something completely new and different. Coming from
> Farm to Market Road towards Samish Island in the field kitty-corner to the
> pink house there was a small flock of turkeys. We passed by them, did a
> double take, and turned around to confirm identity. Are there wild
> turkeys in that area or are these escapees from a farm?
>
> Other species of note from the weekend: we saw the Prairie Falcon both
> days very close up. On Saturday we had 2 Perigrine Falcons and 1 Merlin.
> On Sunday we had 1 Kestrel Hawk. Bald Eagles, Rough Legged Hawks, Short
> Eared Owls, Northern Harriers, and many different Red Tail morphs are
> abundant. There was a large flock of Trumpeter Swans in a field on Holt
> Road off of Highway 20 on the eastern edge of Burlington. I did not see
> any Tundra Swans in the flock.
>
> Recent feeder sightings - amongst the many, many juncos, sparrows, and
> finches are quite a few Spotted Towhees and Chickadees. I have a Flicker
> visiting the suet on a regular basis. It chased off a starling yesterday
> after sitting on the fence and yelling at it for a few minutes. The most
> exciting sighting came yesterday when a single Ruby Crowned Kinglet landed
> in a tree right outside the window. It came back twice so I was able to
> confirm it. I don't know if there were more that I couldn't see or if it
> was traveling with some of the other birds. I will definitely keep my eye
> out for it. This may be a common sighting but not for my backyard so it
> made my day!
>
> That's it. Happy birding!
>
Cathy Wise
Marysville, WA
cathy.wise at attws.com