Tweets,

Yesterday, 12-26-03, my son and I birded the Samish and Skagit flats. We saw large numbers of previously reported raptors but, alas, no gyrfalcon. Highlight of the trip was a tossup. We really enjoyed the golden sunset skirmishes between and among at least ten northern harriers and ten short eared owls at the Samish Unit of the WDFW parking lot. This is located at the "West 90" (where the east-west Samish Island Road makes a right angle turn to the north). Also at sunset we observed a long-eared owl (from the car window at 15ft!) perched on a roadside metal fence post about two hundred yards west of the ?Samish T? (the junction of Bayview-Edison and Samish Island Roads). Of course, you only see these things when you forget the camera ?. Overall, a great day.

Dave Parent, Freeland WA dpdvm at whidbey.com