Subject: Sequim area
Date: Nov 24 11:08:18 2002
From: B&P Bell - bellasoc at isomedia.com


Good Morning Tweets -

Yesterday, a group from Seattle Audubon spent the day working our way
from the north Kitsap area to Sequim and vicinity. We had glorious fall
weather, clear and sunny and good birding.

We had a few birds on the ferry ride over to Kingston including a flight
of Brandt's Cormorants and probable Common Murres. As we came into
Kingston we had many Western Grebes outside of the harbor and superb
views of Barrow's Goldeneye just in front of the ferry. Our first stop
at Port Gamble seemed to be birdless, but scoping the entrance to Hood
Canal we came up with views of Common Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, Pigeon
Guillemot, Surf and White-winged Scoter, Horned Grebe, Common Loon,
Double-crested and Brandt's Cormorants and two Long-tailed Ducks. This
in spite of the strong northerly winds. At Salsbury Point we added
Red-breasted Merganser and American Wigeon thru the strong chop and
whitecaps due to the winds. Overhead we had an immature Bald Eagle
kiting and hovering over the same spot without flapping.

At Squamish Harbor we had good looks at American Wigeon in the wetlands,
a possible yellowlegs peeking out thru the dense grasses, and Common
Goldeneye and White-winged Scoters on the harbor.

We had a most enjoyable time at Railroad Bridge Park and the Audubon
Center in Sequim. There were both Black-capped and Chestnut-backed
Chickadees coming to the feeders, persistent Red-breasted Nuthatches
visited repeatedly as did House Finches. On the fringes were Fox
Sparrows, Spotted Towhees and Dark-eyed Juncos. Ruby-crowned and
Golden-crowned Kinglets were in the cedar trees overhead. A Red-tailed
Hawk circled high in the cloudless sky. On the walk over the bridge and
along the boardwalk we had a great mixed flock of both kinglets
responding to pishing and also a Brown Creeper and a Fox Sparrow. A
Winter Wren gave brief views in the brush below us. In a tree a ways off
the boardwalk was a Common Raven. A ways further down the trail a
Cooper's Hawk circled over. Later, as we sat and enjoyed lunch and the
sun we had a Merlin zoom thru overhead and a flock of Bustits alongside
the bench we were sitting on. As we prepared to leave we had a
Sharp-shinned Hawk above us.

The ponds along Kitchen Dick road yieleded their usual variety of ducks,
including Mallar, Northern Shoveler, Hooded Merganser, American Wigeon,
Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, as well as many American Coots.
Red-winged Blackbirds swooped past and disappeared into the cattails,
giving their calls and whistles. An American Kestrel flew past.
Additionally, we had Belted Kingfisher, American Robin, European
Starling, and Northern Flicker.

At Cline Spit and Oyester House most of the birds were distant, closer
to Dungeness Spit but we could make out Bufflehead, Common Loon, Common
Goldeneye, White-winged and Surf Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser,
Mallard, Glaucou-winged, Mew, and Western Gulls, two adult Bald Eagles
in a tree above us and large flights of American Wigeon.

On arrival at Three Crabs the group was greeted by the sight of
approximately 3,000 American Wigeon at close range. Scanning the group
we managed to pick out Eurasian Wigeon including one male midway between
non-breeding and breeding plumage with a mixture of worn pinkish and
fresh grey feathers on the flanks. A hybrid American/Eurasian Wigeon
lurked in the flocks with a nice red head having a partial greenish
stripe behind the eye. A single Northern Pintail was trying to hide out
in the wigeons. At one point the whole aggregation lifted off the water
as a Bald Eagle flew over. On the offshore pilings the cormorants
shared space with Great Blue Heron. A drive past the horse ponds yielded
Mallard and a few Green-winged Teal. Futher down the road we had
absolutely stunning views of a Taiga Merlin (probable female) perched on
a fence post dismantling and eating a bird (species undetermined). This
was undoubtedly the bird of the day.

At Port Williams, we got close views of non-breeding plumage Pigeon
Gulllemot, more Surf and White-winged Scoters, Bufflehead, Red-necked
Grebes, a single male Harlequin Duck, distant looks at a Pacific Loon,
and a flotilla of at least 25 Long-tailed Duck performing synchronized
diving/feeding activities with gorgeous late-afternoon light ideally
placed for great views.

A brief stop at John Wayne Marina under the last light of the day we had
nice looks at a two Marbled Murrelets in winter plumage.

Additional birds seen during the day included: Pied-billed Grebe,
Pelagic Cormorant, Canada Goose, Ruddy Duck, Killdeer, Sanderling,
Dunlin, Bonaparte's Gull, Rock Dove, Steller's Jay, and American Crow.

A total of 70 birds on a wonderful, relatively slow-paced sunny day.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville WA
bellasoc at isomedia.com