I sense confusion in Steve's last report. First, Skagit Flats is one of
wWA's most extensive estuarine systems, and is influenced by a very
significant outflow of fresh water from the Skagit River--one might add an
outflow which is almost infinitely greater than that from any source flowing
into Crockett Lake, which at last check has no rivers flowing in, and is
moreover on an island. Ironically, there are uppertidal lagoons at a few
spots in the Skagit WMA which may be less saline than Crockett Lake! Skagit
Flats' habitat conditions occur elsewhere, but not often on so grand a scale
in wWA.

Second, I think part of the confusion is also in "tidal" versus "non-tidal."
The presence or lack of tides plays a role in shorebird occurrence, but
tide action is variable and other factors are important also. My impression
is that the amount of available feed, water temperatures and salinity
levels, as well as associated vascular flora--among others--are also
important.

Third, I think it follows here that it is a mistake to uniformly group (a)
"these marshes" and (b) the four species Steve mentions. Examining each of
the four, I agree that Solitary Sand and Wilson's Phalarope should not be
found at Jensen or at similar sites. I have never found Solitaries at any
salt or even brackish habitat, here or elsewhere. On Wilson's Phalarope,
occurrence also seems almost impossible, but already we have a species that
is (in my experience) slightly brackish-tolerant; I would not expect it
right at Jensen, but just east there are some brackish lagoons that might
one day pull one in.

However, on the last two, Stilt and Semipalmated Sandpipers, the record just
plainly shows that Steve is mistaken. The two not only show a tolerance for
brackish and saline habitats, on both east and west coasts, they sometimes
occur in numbers in wWA during fall (mostly Semi Sand). I guess for me that
does not equal highly unusual. To me this is interesting from a historical
perspective, because I recall a time (back in the 70s-early 80s) when
reporting a Semi Sand here was a big deal, you'd better have written notes,
etc. Jensen in the last decade has produced a few single-day counts in
July-August of 10-20 Semi Sands, with at last check an all-time high of 25 I
believe, invariably scattered through large peep flocks, correlated
generally with migrant highs elsewhere nearby, including Crockett Lake. It
would be interesting to hear from Wayne Weber on this, but I believe some of
Vancouver's highest counts for Semi Sand (which are far larger than ours)
have come from saline or brackish habitat.

On the Everett STP incident: on another day all but the 3 Solitaries could
have easily flown off with the others at low tide (and of course to include
Lesser Y and LB Dowitchers).

Crockett Lake compared to Jensen (no comment on Jetty I. and the others): I
sharply disagree. I would be willing to bet that there is at least 80%
confluence of ecotype (associate vascular flora, exposure, mean water
temperatures, salinity levels, available feed species, etc.) where the Stilt
and Semi Sands occur at Crockett Lake and at the brackish uppertidal sites
at Jensen. Further, I would bet that the overall shorebird lists would
correspondingly be at least 90% shared between Jensen and Crockett, so it's
hard for me to call them extraordinarily different. I think Crockett Lake
is a hotspot only because it gets better coverage, enjoying easier access to
the birds, albeit with more driving miles for many of us.

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
email: scottratkinson at hotmail.com
>From: SGMlod at aol.com
>Reply-To: SGMlod at aol.com
>To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: Jensen Access
>Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2001 11:42:53 EDT
>
>Greetings All
>
>I can not find anything different about Jensen Access. It is a typical
>tidal
>marsh in the Puget Sound, albeit one that does attract large numbers of
>shorebirds. I have, on many occasions, walked out onto the tidal
>flats/marsh.
>Like similar areas, it attracts good numbers of Dunlin, BB Plover,
>dowitchers, Western Sandpipers, etc plus the occasional Pectoral Sand, Red
>Knot, golden-plover, etc.
>
>What these marshes are not good for are Stilt Sandpipers, Wilson's
>Phalaropes, Solitary Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and other such
>birds that seem to favor nontidal ponds and fresher water. Not that such
>birds are impossible in these areas, just that they are highly unusual (and
>indeed, Semi Sands do show up in such places, just not in the same
>concentrations. This is different from Semis on the east coast, a
>difference
>that I cannot readily explain).
>
>An illustration of this was to be found one year here in Everett. During
>late
>August (this was a couple years ago when there was a fall invasion of Stilt
>Sandpipers), the freshwater marshes along the eastside of the Everett
>Sewage
>Ponds were just right for shorebirds. At high tide, I had 1000s of
>Westerns,
>dozens of Leasts, up to 20 Semi Sands, up to 20+ Stilt Sands (!!), dozens
>of
>LBDows, some SB Dows, dozens of Semi Plovers, 3 Solitary Sands, and a
>couple
>dozen yellowlegs. As the tide dropped, you could watch the Western Sands,
>Semi Plovers, SB Dows, and a few Greater Yellowlegs leave for the tidal
>flats
>a mile or so away. A few Least and Semi Sands may have departed as well,
>but
>most stayed. As far as I could tell, all of the Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt
>Sands, LB Dows, Solitary Sands stayed put.
>
>So, it is not as though Stilt Sands are impossible at Jensen Access, I just
>feel that it is highly improbable that they are regular there.
>Additionally,
>the combination of unusual habitat and an unusually early juv caused me to
>question the recent report.
>
>Furthermore, Crockett Lake is extraordinarily different from Jensen Access,
>English Boom, Jetty Island, and other such areas. Crockett Lake is
>non-tidal
>and has a different makeup of birds. Indeed, being a non-tidal location is
>one of the factors that make it, and the similar Swantown Lake, such
>hotspots.
>
>Cheers
>Steven Mlodinow


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