Scott and Tweeters,

I've birded this area quite a number of times. When people talk about
the "Stillaguamish Flats", as they talk about the "Skagit Flats" or
"Samish Flats", they usually mean the farm fields of these deltas. If
you drive out Thomie Road, or Boe Road (also called 236th Street NW)--
the next main road to the south of Thomie Road-- you are surrounded by
these flats. They are a great birding area.

It sounds like what you wanted to see was not the Stillaguamish Flats,
but the intertidal flats of Port Susan-- the large bay which separates
Camano Island from the mainland. Although it is possible to see out
over these flats from the end of Boe Road (but not from Thomie Road),
the view is not great, and the dike is privately owned and off-limits
to birders.

The best spot I know to look out over the north end of Port Susan is
at the south end of Eide Road, which leads south from State Route 532
a short distance west of Stanwood. Just past the west end of the high
bridge on 532, make a VERY sharp left turn onto Eide Road-- carefully,
and not recommended if you have a semi-trailer on your tail!

The dike leading south from the end of Eide Road soon gives you a
great view out over the north end of Port Susan. When I visited this
spot on January 13th, 2001, I tallied a list of 34 species, including
at least 4000 DUNLIN, several BLACK BRANT far out in the bay, 90
TRUMPETER SWANS which could be counted along the edge of the bay to
the east, and a mass of at least 5000 SNOW GEESE feeding in fields to
the east.

Note: the parking area at Eide Road requires a Washington Dept. of
Wildlife conservation permit for parking. I've noticed a number of
Tweeters sort of grumbling about these permits. (Out-of-state visitors
like John & Irma can be forgiven.) Let's stop grumbling and ALL buy
conservation permits and support WDW. If we do, maybe WDW will realize
how important birders are among the people who visit these areas, and
will make even more effort than they already do to consider our needs
in the way they manage their lands and access points.

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops and Delta, BC
contopus at home.com


----- Original Message -----
From: Scott Underwood <sunderwood at horizonsoft.com>
To: Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2001 8:03 PM
Subject: Stillaguamish flats


> Making my usual round northward toward Skagit county birding sites I
decided
> to try finding an access route to the Stillaguamish flats. I
attempted to
> head W. on Thomel Rd. from Marine Dr. and wound up at a dead end
near a
> warehouse.
>
> Is there a way to get out into the flats, e.g. public access?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Scott Underwood
> Bothell, WA
> mailto:sunderwood at horizonsoft.com
>