Tweeters;
Well, I'm back in action after a couple of days of enjoying a lovely
wedding in Chetzemoka Park in Port Townsend. The highlight of the last few
days was an owling trip on Bainbridge Island with Jamie Acker, which yielded
5 species (N. Pygmy, W. Screech, Barred, Barn, & Great Horned)! Jamie is
enthusiastic and knowledgable, and it was a delight to learn from him and see
these wonderful birds. I cannot express my gratitude for this act of
kindness to a travelling sranger- a life bird is one of the best gifts to
give (to a birder, anyway), and Jamie gave me four! Thanks again!
Other highlights: Friday, 2 Pacific Loons off Pt. Partridge (I was
unaware of the Curlew until I had arrived in Pt. Townsend- bummer!). BT-
Gray Warbler at Ft. Ebey.
Sunday- Varied Thrush and Red-brested Sapsucker at different points below
Hurricane Ridge (I got all my woodpeckers!). Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch on
Hurricane Ridge- I'm very pleased to get this one, as I understand this is
not an easy bird, plus it took a great deal of patience, waiting for an
unfamiliar sound to come forward (not to mention waiting for noisy hikers to
clear the area!). Today I passed through Ocean Shores- couldn't find the
Godwits; I wasn't expecting to, since because of the long drive to get there,
I arrived at less than optimum godwit-time. Did get a Surfbird at the jetty,
and several other shorebirds on my trip list. It was also nice to see scoters
without freezing my butt off- they're a plentiful winter bird off the eastern
end of Long Island in N.Y.. I definitely learned that Ocean Shores is a
tricky place to find one's way around- next visit I'll try to leave more time
for this area, and maybe hook up with some local birders.
I'm in Enumclaw now, and will hit Mt. Rainier- Sunrise tomorrow-
mainly to enjoy the scenery, although I'd love to find a Ptarmigan. I'll
give a final trip summary tomorrow night. Thanks again to the state-full of
advisors!
Happy birding,
Ken Allaire
New York City
kallaire at cs.com