Subject: Jensen, some pointers (long)
Date: Aug 22 19:01:01 2001
From: Scott Atkinson - scottratkinson at hotmail.com


To would-be Jensen birders (while admitting I have yet to figure out the
patchwork location of all the little uppertidal ponds):

When birding Fir I. last weekend, I showed Patrick and Dave Hayden how to
most easily reach the open flats from Jensen--the trick is to head for a
small crease to the right; it is still a 5-minute walk (for me) before you
reach the open flats, and try to keep your feet on vegetation--and your head
down. Of all of the Skagit WMA accesses--Milltown, North Fork, the main
hdqrts access off Wylie Rd.--Jensen is nonetheless the quickest walk to the
open flats and apparently the easiest. I haven't tried Snow Goose yet.

1. MUD THREATS, CHANNELS, ETC. The most treacherous mud and best chances
for sinking are right in the first 50-100 ft. from the high-tide line, as
these areas receive far less tide action and mud development is
greatest--although inlets can also sometimes be muddy. The areas closest to
the dikes are especially so. Sediments from both the Skagit River and
irrigation outflow pipes seem to deposit here. I would bet that at the
largest channels, if you waded right in, close to the dike, you could in
fact sink in up to your chest or even worse.

Unless you have walked it often in the past, it pays to take steps SLOWLY,
watching your every step in open or semi-open sections of the marsh near the
dikes, until you are sure of your footing; ankle-high boots won't cut it,
you'll need close to knee or knee-high boots here and later if you want to
cross some of the inflow/outflow channels. When walking the channels later,
don't panic if you see that one is too deep to cross: walk toward the open
flats until shallower water becomes apparent (the inlets/channels peter out
when they reach the open flat).

Once you reach the open edge, the walking is easier (although still with a
few spongy spots), as sand becomes more of a factor. Following channels
upstream and finding ponds/openings closer to the dikes is the best bet for
good peeps and waders, as opposed to the open flats, although mud is a
bigger factor again, and after slogging the marsh you may tire and want to
check out the stuff in the open, because it is easier. On some days, there
will be plenty to keep you interested out there, too, and not just
shorebirds.

When walking through vegetated sections, it pays to watch your step closely:
there are places where bumpy, raised sections/gulleys occur, the latter
sometimes hidden from view by vegetation. The occasional ridge-and-gulley
areas are typically within the first 50-100 ft. or so of the high tide mark.
I've always thought a broken ankle to be a possibility here.

2. PRIVATE PROPERTY/DIKES. My understanding is that the Jensen access is a
mere 50-75 ft. frontage along the dike and signs mark this. The adjacent
dikes are private, apparently managed by the Skagit County water district.
So, if you want to bird the open flats, you must descend only from Jensen
out onto the flats. Returning, you will need to relocate Jensen's dike
access as opposed to just coming up at any dike point.

3. TIMING FOR SHOREBIRDS. Timing the tides is indeed key. As others have
observed, the shorebirds are hit-and-miss (like anywhere else). When the
Sullivans, Anne, Dave Hayden and myself were birding Sunday, we opted to hit
the Wylie Rd. Skagit WMA hdqrts for songbirds just as the high tide was
beginning to recede; I found a YH Blackbird near the Skagit WMA hdqrts
entrance, and a few migrants along the loop trail heartened us (especially
two early Hammond's Flycatchers and an Olive-sided), but when we returned to
Jensen, the tide was already far on its way to a -2 low. The shorebirds in
a very low tide situation are usually dispersed and often tough to find in
the seemingly endless expanse of flat, and Dave, Patrick and I found little
out there.

Best results seem to be on an incoming tide or just after the high tide. As
others point out, there is a movement of shorebirds at these times to and
from nearby ploughed-field roosting areas; some birds move even further
north and east past Maupin and Fir I. Rds. and go to the Skagit City farm
pond (and other less-known private sites on Fir I.). Birding with the
Sullivans Sunday was instructive: our best shorebirding (including the 20
Baird's and two Semi Sands) were right near the immediate parking access.
There will be days like that, on others birds will be much more apparent on
the flats.

It is true that you have to be somewhat "fired up" to "take" the flats out
off Jensen, you can't just drive up on the birds. But, with proper care
taken, what healthy exercise, and a venture that can net (as Tweeters has
recently shown) some very good finds. Good luck and good birding!!

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
email: scottratkinson at hotmail.com

<DIV></DIV>&gt;From: "Lynn &amp; Carol Schulz" <LINUSQ at WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Reply-To: linusq at worldnet.att.net
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;To: <TWEETERS at U.WASHINGTON.EDU>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Subject: Re: Birding Skagit Flats,my version
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 12:25:30 -0700
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Tweeters:
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Beth's description is hilarious. What's a gas hawk?
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Now here is my experience at Fir Island (which is the south
part of the
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Skagit Flats).
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;A couple of weeks ago I started reading reports that there
might be some
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;good shorebirds (rarities, even) on the flats at Fir Island,
at the Jensen
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Access. So instead of heading south to Ocean Shores, I headed
north to the
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Conway exit and out to Fir Island. It was late morning, and
after a few
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;wrong turns, I finally made it to the correct access. I was
all alone. I
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;put on my knee-high rubber boots, packed a day pack, and my
scope, and tried
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;to head straight out toward the mud flats. In the distance I
could see some
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;gulls, Mallards, and GBH's. No shorebirds. There were grasses
on the flats
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;below the dike and it got to be watery mud. One of my boots
got sucked off.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Whoa, maybe I should have worn hip waders. These boots were
not going to be
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;adequate. Then I almost fell in. I had to pick my way very
carefully from
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;grass bunch, to grass bunch, and I still didn't get very far
out from the
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;dike. It was a LOT more work than anywhere at Ocean Shores
and I was only
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;able to see Greater Yellowlegs and some Dowitchers at a great
distance. As
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;I came back up to the dike, east of the access, some farmer
yelled at me
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;because that part of the dike is private property. (No sign,
it had been
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;knocked down.) Oh, brother.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;When I got back to the parking lot, some good birder folks
told me a
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;birdwatching woman somewhere in the world had DIED walking in
mud when she
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;got sucked down into it. Whew. They then took me to the
Skagit City dairy
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;pond on Moore Road, so I learned where that was, and we saw
Lesser
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Yellowlegs there. The day was not totally wasted. Then it
started to rain,
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;and I headed home.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;I was told later that you can get on the dike at the main
Skagit Wildlife
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Area, turning off on Wiley Road from Fir Is Rd (this is where
people go to
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;see Sparrows in the winter). Apparently you can walk way out
on the dike
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;there to view the flats. (All of these areas require the
Access Stewardship
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Sticker available at sporting goods stores.)
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;I think I will have to ask some more questions about viewing
the Fir Island
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;mud flats before I ever try it again. How do folks do it?
What do they
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;wear? Do they put on hip waders? Is there a better place for
folks like me
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;to walk out on the dike at Fir Island? Has anyone died, yet?
;-)
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Yours, Carol Schulz
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;DesMoines
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;----- Original Message -----
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;From: <CALLIOPEHB at AOL.COM>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; Here's the highlighter of what we saw.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; Brown stripy things (Sp.)
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz in the bush (Heard) (Sp.)
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; Gas Hawk (Sp.)
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; Beth Thompson
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; Arlington, WA
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt;
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV></html>

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