Tweets -
This past Saturday & Sunday, I birded on San Juan & Orcas Islands.
The weather was clear, wind was low & the water was calm most of both
days, with only a little drizzle early on Saturday. The birding was
very good, though I didn't find anything too unexpected. Moreover, I
was definitely hindered by my lack of a scope - I'm sure many more
gulls & probably more alcids would have made themselves clear had I
had the power, especially at Cattle Point.

AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS - several among a larger group of
Black-Bellied Plovers on the South Beach bluff fields. This group may
have also included Pac.Golden Plovers, but I wasn't able to come to a
decision on all the non-BB Plovers there, so I couldn't be sure
beyond the Americans I got good looks at, on the ground and in flight.

HARLEQUIN DUCKS were abundant off Cattle Point, PACIFIC LOONS &
COMMON LOONS popped up occasionally at all beach stops(one Colo with
a very pale bill & head that tried, unsuccessfully to fool me into
thinking it was a Yellow-billed (wrong bill shape, not yellow enough,
and a back that was just too dark)...)
BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS, BLACK TURNSTONES & a few SURFBIRDS hopped on
the rocks & washed up timber on South Beach and off Cattle Point.

One NORTHERN SHRIKE perched on a bush along the south beach bluff fields.

3 long trips through the bluff fields turned up nothing even remotely
tempting to mistake as a Skylark. But its a big field, and the rabbit
holes & occasional shorebird groups kept me distracted.

Although I spent Sunday afternoon on Orcas Island, I didn't see many
birds as I was up hiking around on Mt. Constitution most of the time
-- Varied Thrush, one soaring Bald Eagle, and lots of Dark-eyed
Juncos, Winter Wrens & Golden-crowned Kinglets were about it.

A complete list is down at the end of this message -

I'll include a few extra logistical details than usual, since I
don't often see trip reports from the San Juans:
The new ABA Birders Guide to Washington was very helpful and included
everywhere I stopped [and more], with the exception of Jackson Beach
on San Juan. Thanks to a Tweeters message back in September, I added
Jackson Beach to the itinerary and wasn't disappointed. With its
proximity to Friday Harbor, it is definitely recommended.
The 6:10am Ferry out of Anacortes Saturday morning was not full at
all, even on the holiday weekend. The 5:00PM Sunday return trip from
Orcas was nearly full though. Only ferry downside to the easy early &
late rides was, of course, the lack of light while on-board.
Hotel: Budget option I'd highly recommend - Wayfarer's Rest(360
378-6428 http://www.rockisland.com/~wayfarersrest/ in Friday Harbor.
Dorm Beds for $20, in a very clean & comfortable house. Private rooms
available too. The entire downstairs of the house is a common area,
cooking & such allowed in the full kitchen. As a bonus, in this
off-season I had the entire dorm room to myself Saturday night.

Birds seen, 11/29 & 11/30:
Pacific Loon (11/29, 11/30: Jackson Beach, Cattle Point)
Common Loon (11/29, 11/30: Jackson Beach, Cattle Point)
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Brandt's Cormorant (~50 in flock on water, seen from inter-island ferry. 11/29)
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan (11/30: 6 on SJ, 4 in Zylstra Lake, 2 nearby)
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Harlequin Duck (11/29, 11/30: abundant at Cattle Point & South Beach)
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Long-tailed Duck (11/29: one pair off South Beach)
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser (2 seen in Killebrew Lake on Orcas Island, 11/30)
Red-breasted Merganser
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier (11/29: South Beach Bluff fields)
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle (11/30: One, in snag, a little south of South Beach bluffs)
American Coot
Black-bellied Plover (11/29, 11/30:~20, South Beach bluff fields)
American Golden-Plover (11/29: ~3-5? with a group of BBPL & Dunlin in
South Beach bluff fields)
Killdeer (11/30: 10, South Beach bluff fields)
Black Oystercatcher (11/29, 11/30 : ~15 along South Beach, 3-4 at Cattle Point)
Greater Yellowlegs (11/29, 11/30 : 2 at Jackson Beach)
Black Turnstone (11/29, 11/30 : 7 at Jackson Beach, ~15 at South Beach)
Surfbird (11/29: 4 among BLTUs at South Beach)
Dunlin (11/29: 11/30 ~30 in South Beach bluff fields, w/ BBPL)
Mew Gull
Herring Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake (at least 3-4, probably many more, near Goose
Island off Cattle Point 11/30)
Common Murre (3, only seen on Inter-island ferry 11/30)
Pigeon Guillemot (11/29, 11/30 South Beach, Cattle Point & Ferry)
Marbled Murrelet (2 at Cattle Point 11/29, 1 from Ferry 11/30)
Rock Pigeon
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker (11/29 trees near Cattle Point)
Northern Flicker
Northern Shrike (11/30 South Beach, near intersection of Cattle Pt.
Rd & South Beach rd)
American Crow
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush (11/29, in wooded trails at Lime Kiln Park)
American Robin
Varied Thrush
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark (11/29, 11/30 South Beach bluff fields & elsewhere)
House Finch
Pine Siskin
House Sparrow

Notable misses [not that they weren't present, I just was surprised I
managed to miss them]: many gull species, Rhino Auklets, any
Goldeneyes or Scaup, Ruby-crowned Kinglet??, Steller's Jay,
Am.Goldfinch.... time for a return trip soon!

All in all, it was a good weekend

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA

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