Subject: Kitsap Peninsula 3/7 (long)
Date: Mar 9 23:29:25 2001
From: Birdking88 at aol.com - Birdking88 at aol.com


Hi Tweeters,
Had a great day on the Kitsap Peninsula with Carol Schulz on Wednesday. The
highlight was 8 or more MOUNTAIN QUAIL at the South Port Orchard Airport.

Highlights w/details:
"Aleutian" Canada Goose: 1 bird with a small (6 birds) flock of large
"Great Basin" Canadas at the outflow of the Gorst Creek into Sinclair Inlet.
Similar to a "Cackling" Canada but somewhat lighter on breast without any
purple tones. When the birds flew towards me, the thick neck ring stood out.
Bill very short, head relatively small, overall size possibly slightly larger
than a Cackler.
Redhead: 1 adult male sleeping with a flock of 23 Ring-necked Ducks at Mace
Lake above Purdy.
Mountain Quail: Over 8 birds total at the South Port Orchard Airport. The
birds did not respond to our tape at all; they were calling to each other and
not to us. I don't think a tape is necessary to find these birds. To get to
the location where we found the birds, drive into the north end of the
Airport and then go south past the Research Building and all the hangers. We
parked at the south end of the hangers. Across the field to the south is a
fence running east-west and on the other side of this fence is the gravel
pit. Walk over to this fence and then walk west up the "road" on the airport
side of this fence, going uphill for a while. At the top of this hill the
fence and the road turn north. We saw our first 4 feeding on the path about
150 yards to the north of where the road turns. This group contained 3
females and 1 male. We observed these birds for a long time, until we heard a
bird calling down on the other side of the gravel pit to the South. The bird
continued calling persistently. Another bird was calling a bit closer to us.
This one was in clear view, calling at the top of a "cliff" of gravel until
it flew down further into the pit. Excellent view! In the next 20 minutes we
heard at least two other birds.
Glaucous Gull: 1 imm. bird seen briefly in a large gull flock where the
Gorst Creek drains into Sinclair Inlet before an adult Bald Eagle scared 3/4
of the gulls away, including the Glaucous.


Conditions: Warm, sunny, clear. Temperature reached 65? at least.

Location Key:
ML - Mace Lake near Purdy;
GC - Sinclair Inlet viewed from Gorst Creek outflow;
SI - Sinclair Inlet viewed from side of Highway 3 near Bremerton;
PO - South Port Orchard Airport;
LL - Long Lake County Park in Ollala;
Blank space - all stops.

1. Red-throated Loon (1) SI
2. Pacific Loon (1) GC
3. Common Loon (3) GC, SI
4. Red-necked Grebe (2) SI
5. Horned Grebe (24) GC, SI
6. Eared Grebe (18) GC, SI
7. Pied-billed Grebe (5) LL, ML
8. Western Grebe (275) GC, SI
9. Double-crested Cormorant (~3) GC
10. Great-blue Heron (~5) ML, LL
11. Canada Goose (~30 moffitii-type, 1 ALEUTIAN [GC])
12. Wood Duck (2) ML
13. Mallard (~40)
14. Gadwall (4) SI
15. American Wigeon (~250) SI
16. Northern Shoveler (8) ML
17. Green-winged Teal (34) GC
18. REDHEAD (1) ML
19. Ring-necked Duck (23) ML
20. Greater Scaup (68) SI
21. Lesser Scaup (6) SI
22. Surf Scoter (79) SI, GC
23. White-winged Scoter (203) GC, SI
24. Black Scoter (13) SI
25. Common Goldeneye (27) SI
26. Barrow's Goldeneye (8) SI
27. Bufflehead (16)
28. Hooded Merganser (3) GC
29. Common Merganser (4) GC
30. Red-breasted Merganser (157) GC
31. Ruddy Duck (2) ML
32. Cooper's Hawk (2) PO
33. Red-tailed Hawk (7) LL,
34. Bald Eagle (7) LL, ML, GC
35. MOUNTAIN QUAIL (8+) PO
36. Ring-necked Pheasant (3) PO
37. American Coot (5) ML
38. Killdeer (10) PO, LL
39. Mew Gull (~50) GC
40. California Gull (2) GC
41. Herring Gull (6) GC
42. GLAUCOUS GULL (1 first year bird seen briefly) GC
43. Glaucous-winged Gull (~200)
44. Rock Dove (100)
45. Belted Kingfisher (3) PO, LL
46. Northern Flicker (8) PO, LL, ML
47. Hutton's Vireo (1) LL
48. Steller's Jay (~15, including one with bold white wing-bars, either a
Blue Jay x Steller's Jay hybrid or a luecistic Steller's) PO, LL, ML
49. Common Raven (~7) PO, LL, ML
50. American Crow (100)
51. Tree Swallow (7) ML, LL
52. Black-capped Chickadee (~25)
53. Chestnut-backed Chickadee (~15) ML
54. Bushtit (10) PO
55. Red-breasted Nuthatch (1) near ML
56. Brown Creeper (3) near ML
57. Bewick's Wren (~20)
58. Winter Wren (4) ML, LL, PO
59. Marsh Wren (3) ML, GC
60. Golden-crowned Kinglet (~25)
61. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (5) PO, ML, LL
62. Varied Thrush (1) ML
63. American Robin (100)
64. Eurasian Starling (100)
65. Townsend's Warbler (1) near ML
66. Spotted Towhee (~10) ML, LL, PO
67. Fox Sparrow (2) LL
68. Song Sparrow (~20)
69. Lincoln's Sparrow (1) GC
70. Dark-eyed Junco (~15)
71. Red-winged Blackbird (~100)
72. Purple Finch (7) PO
73. House Finch (~10) near ML
74. Red Crossbill (~40) ML, PO
75. Pine Siskin (~20) ML, PO, LL
76. House Sparrow (~20) GC, PO

Other animals included a Giant Octopus dead washed up in the mouth of the
Gorst Creek, longer than 5 feet!

Good birding.

http://hometown.aol.com/birdking88/index.html
Birdking88 at aol.com
Charlie W. Wright
Sumner, WA
Age 12