Subject: Lake Stevens Hammond's Flycatchers+
Date: Apr 20 21:10:37 2003
From: Scott Atkinson - scottratkinson at hotmail.com


Tweeters:

A beautiful Easter morning brought indications of spring out here in n. Lake
Stevens at Tiny's Land. There were two highlights: the first were two
HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS, one bird being found almost right along Getchell Hill
Rd. in the woods, the other cooperatively calling and foraging in the alders
immediately north of our house. Some years birds don't show until the 25th
or so, but in other years show up before the 20th. Then other highlight
among 37 species for the morn was a SWAINSON'S THRUSH, heard only but
several times in thickets near the Getchell Rd. For seven years, the
previous early date was April 27, and average first arrival is the first
week of May. Still, no sign of Pacific-slope Flycatcher or Black-throated
Gray Warbler, both of which usually show close to the 20th.

Other migrants were also present: 2 Orange-crowned Warblers (uncommon
here), 6 Yellow-rumps, and a Com. Yellowthroat (heard just off the property
along the utility crossing thickets, rare here). Many residents are in full
song: most noticeable are Winter Wrens, which seem to sound off about every
30 yards along the trail and entry road; meanwhile, DE Junco and Varied
Thrush numbers are thinning. Still, the most frequently heard sound these
days here is a bird of the canopy, the Red Crossbill. For several months,
small numbers were present, but numbers have increased during March-April,
with birds audible continually during the morning and evening hours. 30-35
birds were present today.

Later in the day, after visiting family in Mt. Vernon, we stopped to try for
the La Conner Burrowing Owl, seen yesterday, but were unsuccessful. This is
an excellent find for Skagit County, with the only other records in the last
decade of an April 24, 1995 bird near the Skagit WMA, and a March 20, 1999
bird at the Skagit WMA. Southward at the Jensen access, there were about
8,000 Dunlin and much smaller numbers of BB Plover, Least and Western Sands,
and RB and Calif. Gulls; about 50 Bonaparte's Gulls were also present.

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com


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