We ended up with 39 birders on the 4-hour cruise from La Conner up the
Swinomish Channel to Padilla Bay, Hat Is. and Saddlebag Is. It started out
cloudy and ended up partly sunny. We saw more Long-tailed Ducks (beautiful
ducks), and Brandt's Cormorant than usual. The Lesser Yellowlegs were a
surprise also. We also saw two river otters, many harbor seals, and one deer.
We stopped at Water St. in Edmunds on the way back, but did not see the
Arctic Loon. Others reported that it had not been seen that day. It was an
enjoyable and successful trip.

Pied-billed Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Brandt's Cormorant - 50+ on side of rock cliff
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant - 1
Trumpeter Swan - 1000+ in fields near La Conner
Canada Goose
Brant - 40
American Wigeon - hundreds
Gadwall
Green-winged Teal
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Long-tailed Duck - 50 in a number of small groups
Common Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Merganser
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle - 10 on cruise, 2 enroute to La Conner
Northern Harrier - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 8 on cruise, 6 enroute
Rough-legged Hawk - 2
Peregrine Falcon - 2
Lesser Yellowlegs - 3
Western Sandpiper
Dunlin
Killdeer
Mew Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Pigeon Guillemot - 8
Common Loon - 30+
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove - 1
Belted Kingfisher - 8
American Crow
American Robin
European Starling
Black-capped Chickadee
House Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird

Species seen - 42


Hugh Jennings
Bellevue, WA
hughbirder at aol.com