Dear Tweeters,

Yesterday Nil Muntaner and I visited Stanwood sewage lagoons (Snohomish Cty) and English Boom (Camano Island, Island Cty).

At Stanwood were lots of ducks. I had not visited there in about a decade, so was surprised to find a huge construction project going on, and zero shorebirds. However, there were a few each of Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, and Northern Shoveller, plus goodly numbers of Mallard, Gadwall, and Ruddy Duck. I cannot remember seeing so many "winter " ducks in August anywhere recently.

At English Boom, we saw three Purple Martins. One had a red band on the left leg that had the numerals "269" in black. Then the birds changed perches, and I saw a bird, possibly the same martin, with a red band on the left leg with a black letter "A" on it. I think all three birds had USFS metal bands on their right legs.

I would send this info in to Maryland (or wherever the banding lab is no), but I figure the banders are keeping tabs on these birds that are still at the nesting site. However, I was wondering if there is now an online procedure to replace the old mail-a-letter method.

Good birding,

Gary Bletsch



Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch

near Lyman (Skagit County), Washington

garybletsch at yahoo.com


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