Subject: Fir Island 11/17
Date: Nov 18 12:00:06 2001
From: Stuart MacKay - stuart at blarg.net


At various locations along Maupin Road, Fir Island on Saturday were:

1-2 great egrets
1 pectoral sandpiper
14 long-billed dowitchers
10-15,000 dunlin
56 trumpeter swans
5 bald eagles
1 rough-legged hawk
3 red-tailed hawks
3 hood mergansers
7 cackling canada geese
several western sandpipers
thousands of snow geese

The first egret was seen just west of the Jensen Access at the waters
edge where Maupin Road turns 90 degrees to the north. The "second" was
seen flying east back towards this corner. About 1 mile and 20 minutes
separated the sightings so it could have been the same bird.

The pectoral sandpiper was with a group of long-billed dowitchers
roosting near the mouth of Browns Slough.

There were noticeable numbers of western sandpipers amongst the swarm of
dunlin. It was not possible to get an idea of how many birds there
were - hundreds at most.

Stuart
--
Stuart MacKay, Seattle, WA
stuart at blarg.net