Deat Tweeters,

Today there were two Red-necked Phalaropes in LaConner. One looked like a winter-plumage bird, quite white. The other was darker: it may have been an adult male, moulting out of breeding plumage It was just a quick stop for me, with no telescope, so it was hard to tell. The birds were feeding on the surface of a slough just east of the Swinomish Channel, off Channel Drive (reached by driving north from the west end of the McLean Rd.). Other waterbirds included a couple of Great Blue Herons, quite a few teal with blue wings (Cinnamon or Blue-winged, I could not tell), a Spotted Sandpiper, and hundreds of peeps flying over.

There were also hundreds of swallows, most of which were Barn Swallows. At one point there were close to a thousand small birds in the air, with swallows, blackbirds, and peeps predominating. I suspect a bird-eating raptor was the cause of that activity.

This spot is a good one for a quick look, up to maybe half an hour. At the north end of Channel, a sign says that the county road ends, and that is a good place to park. Most of the good birding habitat is off-limits, signed "Gun Club, Keep Out," and the area does not seem like a good one for big groups of us "suspicious" birders, since there really is no significant public access. However, nobody has ever bothered me there, and a quick look is all that is usually warranted. Over the years this has always been a nice spot during migration or in winter.

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch



---------------------------------
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better