Dear Tweeters,

Continuing in my tradition of missing the Red-shouldered Hawk, I spent four hours at the Fir Island Game Range today, with nary a sign of it.

There were lots of birds to see. Two different Cooper's Hawks gave good views; a probable Sharp-shinned Hawk flew by too fast. There were lots of Red-tails and Northern Harriers, two Northern Shrikes, thousands of Red-winged Blackbirds, several Virginia Rails, a dowitcher, some Black-bellied Plover, and even a few ducks still surviving the gunfire.

About 20 Purple Finches outnumbered a handful of House Finches.

Twice I saw flocks of Pine Siskins (8 and 10 birds each time, but perhaps the same flock). These were the first good numbers of the species I have seen in quite some time.

Later in the day I visited the "Lake District," as some birders call it. Beaver Lake (just outside of the village of Clear Lake) had about 175 American Coots, and good numbers of Pied-billed Grebes. There were no Redheads or Canvasbacks, though. I did not have time for Big Lake. Clear Lake itself looked birdless at a quick glance, so I went to Mud Lake (at the north end of the village of Clear Lake). Mud Lake had my first Gadwalls of the year (a pair), lots of Hooded Mergansers and Ring-necked Ducks, and a single Ruddy Duck, along with some other common waterbirds.

Good birding,

Gary Bletsch

near Lyman, WA

garybletsch at yahoo.com







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