Joyce Meyer, Mary Frances Mathis, Derek Mahaffey and Hugh Jennings
made up the Whidbey Wing-Dings Bird-A-Thon team. We met at the
Kingsgate P&R at 6:00 a.m on Tuesday, May 7, and made it to Mukilteo in time to catch the 6:30 ferry to Kingston. The following is the general route we travelled with
highlights for each location. A complete list of birds can be sent to anyone interested.
The weather was cool, breezy and cloudy at the start and gradually gave way
to sunshine for most of the day. The most interesting sightings are in BOLD face.

We began with Surf Scoters, Western Grebes and Pigeon Guillemots at the
ferry dock. Our first stop was a park at the end of Double Bluff Road. On
the way there we saw the first of 18 RED-TAILED HAWKS seen during the day
and three species of swallows. At the park, we saw the expected resident
Rufous Hummingbird, the first of 23 BALD EAGLES, Common Loon,
Red-breasted Merganser, California Quail. Next stop was at the end of
Shoreline Dr. in Greenbank at a birdy wetland where we added Cliff Swallow,
a Virginia Rail (heard), ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, Common Yellowthroat and
American Goldfinch. We visited the nearby shoreline of Holmes Harbor and
saw many White-winged Scoters, Least Sandpipers, HORNED GREBES in
breeding plumage and HARLEQUIN DUCKS. We already had 52 birds on our list
by 8:40 a.m. We stopped at Driftwood park on the bay SE of Crockett Lake
and BONAPARTE'S GULLS, RHINOCERUS AUKLETS. Scoping Crockett Lake from the
road we saw a magnificent coyote as well as SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS,
Killdeer, two AMERICAN AVOCETS, DUNLIN with breeding plumaged black bellies,
a number of duck species and the first of 5 Northern Harriers. We went on to
Fort Casey SP and hiked out to the lighthouse and were only rewarded with
Yellow-rumped Warblers, Orange-crowned Warblers and Red-breasted
Nuthatches.

Our total was now 68 at 11:00 a.m. when we had lunch at the park. We
saw a many small rabbits and bunnies here and at a number of other
stops. We saw nothing new as we drove past Ebey Landing and to the dock
at Coupeville. On the road along Penn Cove we added Pine Siskin and Belted
Kingfisher. A number of SHORTBILLED DOWITCHERS were seen on the shore of
Penn Cove. At Partridge Point (Libbey Beach) we found two BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS resting in the sun on the beach and a California Sea Lion
snorkeling near the beach. Our stop at the west end of Hastie Lake Road
resulted in a number of WHIMBREL in rocks on the shore. At Bos Lake (AKA
Swantown Lake) we had a number of duck species that included two new
ones, Lesser Scaup and American Wigeon. At the Oak Harbor Marina we
were rewarded with BLACK TURNSTONES, SURFBIRDS and a lone SPOTTED SANDPIPER. At the pond at Dugualla Bay we saw a CANVASBACK and at Ala
Spit we saw at least three cute baby Killdeer. A rest stop at Deception Pass
produced a Chestnut-backed Chickadee. A drive around March Point resulted
in Turkey Vultures and a Common Goldeneye. At a stop at the boat launch at
the Skagit WRA we saw Bushtits. The sewage ponds at Stanwood are always
rewarding and added Ring-necked Ducks, Pied-billed Grebe and two dainty
WILSON'S PHALAROPE. We saw EURASIAN WIGEON at a pond along Norman
Road and a Brown Creeper at the exit 207 rest area on I-5. We ended with
three Osprey at the Everett Marina. We got back to the P&R about 6:45 p.m.
after along day and about 200 miles.

But, we weren't finished yet. Mary Frances stopped at Juanita Bay and found
some birds that had eluded us - Marsh Wren, Common Merganser and
American Coot. Joyce had Steller's Jay and Wood Ducks near her house. The
Jennings had a Downy Woodpecker. The Bird-A-Thon covers a 24 hour period, so a Swainson's Thrush heard by Joyce and a Black-headed Grosbeak heard by Hugh before 6 a.m. on Wed. morning could be counted. This resulted in a grand total of 98 species and a new record for this trip.

Hugh Jennings
Bellevue, WA
hughbirder at bigzoo.net