Tweeters:

Found a few birds of note up in Skagit County yesterday during a family
drive. About 3 miles south of Larrabee State Park along the Chuckanut Drive
in extreme northern Skagit County, we had a GRAY JAY fly in front of the car
near one of the pulloffs, this site is just above sea-level. At the Samish
W-90, a juv. HARLAN'S HAWK was present; there were many other raptors,
including 1-2 dark-phase Rough-legged Hawks and many N. Harriers. Southward
near the Farmhouse Inn along Rt 20, we spotted an OSPREY, not real late but
getting toward the end of the season for them.

At Jensen at about 4:30 p.m., the big surprise was 3 very late BAIRD'S
SANDPIPERS among various shorebirds and waterfowl, as late as that species
has ever been recorded in Skagit County. 30 Am. Pipits were also here.
Then, close to dusk, a late VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW was observed just ssw of
Arlington, along the Armer Rd. near the Shell station and Florist's shop.
(Another late swallow was a BARN found Oct. 14, along Best Rd. west of Mt.
Vernon; nearby at March Pt. that day, there were large numbers of Surf
Scoters, Red-throated Loons, 8 arrival Oldsquaw, and an arrival 1st-winter
Thayer's Gull, about 50 Bonaparte's Gulls, and a Com. Tern, among others).

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
email: scottratkinson at hotmail.com

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp