Hey Tweeters,
Ryan Shaw and I birded areas around Snohomish, Stanwood, and Conway today
in Snohomish County. Our first stop was at Thomle Road, after getting a young
white-striped WHITE-THROATED SPARROW along Norman Road. At Thomle Road we did
not get the mockingbird. In the area, though, were at least 10 COMMON
REDPOLLS with large flocks of finches and blackbirds.

We then headed off to the Stanwood Sewage Ponds, where we had:
6 Canvasbacks
1 OLDSQUAW
12 Ruddy Ducks
10,000+ Snow Geese flying in the distance
1 Merlin
good numbers of shovelers, scaup, etc.
35 Common Redpolls

Our next stop was the Skagit Game Range. We walked the entire dike and came
up with:
4 PINE GROSBEAKS (3 females, 1 adult male)
1 Northern Shrike
5+ Common Redpolls
1 White-throated Sparrow
2 Lincoln's Sparrows

On our way back south, we stopped again at Thomle Road. Still no mocker,
but we had an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER in the area.

Our last stop of the day was the Old Snohomish-Monroe Road, where we had
the adult GYRFALCON perched on its very traditional cottonwood. Also in place
were at least 3 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE in the nearby field with swans
and Canadas.

Good Birding!

Charlie Wright
Birdking88 at aol.com
Sumner, WA