Subject: Snohomish County Birding
Date: Feb 11 17:36:16 2001
From: David Beaudette - drtbrdr at earthlink.net


Greetings,

Field trip report for 11 February 2001, Snohomish County.

Seen at Priest Point, west of Marysville:
6 Killdeer, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Spotted Sandpiper.

Seen from the Boat Launch at Lake Cassidy and later at the Catherine Creek wetland and NW Wildfowl Farm just south of the lake along 54 St NE-street sign also calls it 54 Pl NE. Delorme Atlas P 95, D-8:
1 male American Black Duck, 1 female hybrid American Black Duck-Mallard, with a small group of Mallards. An additional hybrid may also be present. I spoke with Paul Dye, who owns the NW Wildfowl Farm.He keeps 6 American Black Ducks on his farm but these are not his. Rather they are a small population that moved in from somewhere else . I am presuming that this is a remant of the Everett population. Everett is just a few miles away and only a few hybrids are present there. Anyone have past info on Lake Cassidy American Black Ducks?

Seen at the nearby Corson Natural Area:
3 Hutton's Vireos, two of these were singing. 1 Evening Grosbeak. 1 Pileated Woodpecker working on a red alder snag. This bird a female [black mustache, black on the forecrown} with somewhat brownish wing coverts that have thin abraided palish edges. I wonder if this is a first winter bird?
Also a Ruffed Grouse was spied as it was moved very slowly in deciduous woodland at the edge of a small meadow.
A gorgeous day to be out and about.

Good Birding,
David Beaudette