Brian Bell's note reminded me that I was out at Ediz Hook w/family in Port
Angeles on Oct. 28th and, although belated, Clallam-bound birders might be
interested to know that on that day the two ROCK SANDPIPERS were relocated,
I had two out there last year also around this time. Nothing really rare
was recorded among 43 species (I might be missing one or two). I did have a
very tame migrant Golden-crowned Kinglet at the beach, an odd site given the
absence of trees on Ediz Hook. There was also a veritable horde of large
gulls and I had a "mystery" passerine that I'm thinking was just a Savannah
Sparrow, but--what does the Tweeters audience think?

The passerine flew in from across the Strait, I first spotted it way out and
then followed it in until it landed in the boulders near me and promptly
disappeared, not responding to pishing or other attempts to relocate it. It
bounded in so close to the sea at times that I was sure it would get hit by
a wave. This bird was 6" or so, brown above and streaked on the breast and
(to a lesser degree as much as I could tell) on the back, with a rich golden
wash below and some yellow on the face as well; the morning sun caught on
these and they stood out. I just passed it off as another Savannah Sparrow,
but several things still don't sit well with me since: the bird looked
almost tail-less, it seemed a bit stockier and much yellower below than your
average Savannah, and most of all--it had a distinctly weak flight, rather
reminiscent of a wren with short, rapid bursts of wingbeats and pumps, not
at all undulating and fluid like one associates with Savannah. Still,
exhaustion might have been a factor. I had hoped for Rock Wren, and the
site is favorable, but this was obviously not that species.

Otherwise, the tally for the 7-9 am period (not quite in taxonomic order):

Com. Loon 4
Pac Loon 2
Red-throated Loon 1
Horned Grebe 2
Red-necked Grebe 12
DC Corm 6
Brandt's Corm 4
Pelagic Corm 45
Gr. Blue Heron 3
Mallard 4
Am. Wigeon 18
Gr. Scaup 16
Bufflehead 25
Harlequin Duck 6
Oldsquaw 8
Black Scoter 1
WW Scoter 6
Surf Scoter 35
RB Merganser 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
Merlin 1
Killdeer 1
ROCK SANDPIPER 2 (in w/turnstones, inshore side)
Black Turnstone 26
Sanderling 24
Dunlin 1
Mew Gull 75
Calif. Gull 13
Thayer's Gull 1 (adult)
Heermann's Gull 300 (much higher than expected for so late)
Glaucous-w. Gull 2500
GW x W. Gull hybr 750
W. Gull 7
gull sp. 500 (way out, large gulls)
Com. Murre 7
Rhino Auklet 1
Marbled Murrelet 4
Rock Dove 2
crow, sp. 2
GC KINGLET 1 (!in beach grasses/driftwood, unlikely site)
Am. Pipit 2
Eur. Starling 11
House Finch 4
Song Sparrow 2
Savannah Sparrow 5

43 species.

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
email: scottratkinson at hotmail.com

>From: P&B Bell <bellasoc at isomedia.com>
>Reply-To: bellasoc at isomedia.com
>To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu, Colin Thoreen <teenbirder at hotmail.com>,
>Brenden McGarry <pica_pica417 at hotmail.com>, Robert Norton
><norton36 at olypen.com>
>Subject: Sequim/Port Angeles trip
>Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2001 11:22:04 -0800
>
>Yesterday, Seattle Audubon took a field trip to the Port Angeles-Sequim
>area. The day started out overcast and windy in Edmonds while we waited
>for the ferry. Luckily, by the time we got to the Kitsap Peninsula the
>wind had died down. The day was generally overcast, with occasional
>periods of drizzle and a brief period of light rain at Ediz Hook.
>
>Highlights included stunning views of the Emperor Goose at Lincoln Park
>in Port Angeles. The bird is so acclimatized to people that we were able
>to see it from about 12 feet, along with the hordes of mixed mallards
>and some American Wigeon (including two Eurasian Wigeon). Ediz Hook was
>productive with Long-tailed Duck, Marbled Murrelet (about 30 feet away),
>Barrow's Goldeneye, Black Oystercatcher and Black Turnstone. We picked
>up a good variety of other species as we touched at other locations
>between Port Angeles and Sequim. We had two Cooper's Hawks - one along
>Kitchen-Dick Rd and one along the bluff above Oyster House. Nice looks
>at adult Bald Eagles, and a rapid flyover by a Peregrine Falcon. We
>wound up the day with 77 species before turning for home and running
>back under the rain.
>
>Details below.
>
>Brian H. Bell
>Woodinville WA
>bellasoc at isomedia.com
>
>
>Edmonds & Ferry to Kingston
>Horned Grebe
>Red-necked Grebe
>Western Grebe
>Double-crested Cormorant
>Great Blue Heron
>Mallard
>American Wigeon
>Surf Scoter
>White-winged Scoter
>Bufflehead
>Red-breasted Merganser
>Bonaparte's Gull
>Mew Gull
>California Gull
>Glaucous-winged Gull
>Common Murre
>Pigeon Auklet
>Rhinoceros Auklet
>American Crow
>American Robin
>
>Port Gamble
>Common Loon
>Horned Grebe
>Red-necked Grebe
>Double-crested Cormorant
>Mallard
>Surf Scoter
>Bufflehead
>Red-breasted Merganser
>Bald Eagle
>Bonaparte's Gull
>Glacous-winged Gull
>Pigeon Guillemot
>American Crow
>Ruby-crowned Kinglet
>European Starling
>Song Sparrow
>White-crowned Sparrow
>
>Salsbury Point
>Common Loon
>Horned Grebe
>Surf Scoter
>Pigeon Guillemot
>
>Hwy 101 near Sequim
>Red-tailed Hawk
>Common Raven
>
>Lincoln Park (Port Angeles)
>Emperor Goose
>Mallard
>American Wigeon
>Eurasian Wigeon
>
>Ediz Hook
>Common Loon
>Horned Grebe
>Double-crested Cormorant
>Pelagic Cormorant
>Great Blue Heron
>Mallard
>Greater Scaup
>Harlequin Duck
>Surf Scoter
>White-winged Scoter
>Long-tailed Duck (on the Strait side)
>Barrow's Goldeneye
>Red-breasted Merganser
>Black Oyestercatcher
>Black Turnstone
>Sanderling
>Least Sandpiper
>Bonaparte's Gull
>Heermann's Gull
>Western Gull
>Glaucous-winged Gull (plus hybrids)
>Pigeon Guillemot
>Marbled Murrelet (Strait side)
>Belted Kingfisher
>
>Kitchen-Dick Road
>Pied-billed Grebe
>Great Blue Heron
>American Wigeon
>Mallard
>Northern Shoveler
>Green-winged Teal
>Canvasback - single female
>Ring-necked Duck
>Lesser Scaup
>Bufflehead
>Red-tailed Hawk
>Cooper's Hawk
>American Coot
>Glaucous-winged Gull
>Belted Kingfisher
>Northern Flicker
>American Crow
>Black-capped Chickadee
>Chestnut-backed Chickadee
>Golden-crowned Kinglet
>Ruby-crowned Kinglet
>American Robin
>Red-winged Blackbird
>House Finch
>Pine Sisken
>
>Cline Spit road
>Common Loon
>Horned Grebe
>Surf Scoter
>Peregrine Falcon
>Pigeon Gullemot
>American Crow
>Bewick's Wren
>Spotted Towhee
>Song Sparrow
>White-throated Sparrow
>Golden-crowned Sparrow
>Dark-eyed Junco
>House Finch
>
>Oyster House
>Common Loon
>Horned Grebe
>Double-crested Cormorant
>Pelagic Cormorant
>Mallard
>Surf Scoter
>White-winged Scoter
>Bald Eagle
>Cooper's Hawk (on bluff above)
>miscellaneous gulls at a distance
>Pigeon Guillemot
>Bewick's Wren
>Ruby-crowned Kinglet
>Song Sparrow
>Lincoln's Sparrow
>
>3 Crabs & vicinity
>Common Loon
>Horned Grebe
>Double-crested Cormorant
>Pelagic Cormorant
>American Wigeon
>Mallard
>Northern Pintail
>Surf Scoter
>Northern Harrier
>Red-tailed Hawk
>Western Gull
>Glaucous-winged Gull
>Pigeon Guillemot
>American Robin
>Red-winged Blackbird
>Brewer's Blackbird
>House Finch
>Pine Sisken
>
>John Wayne Marina
>Common Loon
>Horned Grebe
>Red-necked Grebe
>Western Grebe
>Double-crested Cormorant
>Pelagic Cormorant
>Canada Goose
>American Wigeon
>Greater Scaup
>Surf Scoter
>Bufflehead
>Barrow's Goldeneye
>Hooded Merganser - 12 males, 3 females
>Bonaparte's Gull
>Mew Gull
>Pigeon Guillemot
>Rhinoceros Auklet
>Belted Kingfisher
>American Robin
>Varied Thrush - male
>House Sparrow
>
>
>
>


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