I'll be flying into SeaTac late Thursday (Feb 6) and birding till late
Sunday afternoon. On two past visits (late Sept, mid Nov) I split my
time between Ocean Shores and Nisqually, with just a bit of inland
birding. This time I figure on heading north, and visiting (more or
less) Skagit Flats, Samish Flats, Deception Pass, Anacortes, and the
upper Skagit valley area. I have "Birders Guide to Washington" by
MacRae, and have been scouring the web for ideas and directions. I
will be bringing my scope.

I haven't found a lot of information on what will be reasonably
findable, just the CBC numbers. I've only come up with a few specific
target birds that might not be a stretch: Trumpeter Swan, Barrows
Goldeneye, and perhaps Pacific Loon. And just about any sea birds
viewable from land would be great. Otherwise I will probably just be
happy to see what I can see, and get familiar with your western birds.

Some questions:

Am I missing some other area I really should see? I could pick a home
base (Mt Vernon seems central enough) and get a motel room for three
days. It sounds like I could keep busy for that long easily. Or I
could keep my options open and just find a motel each night.

I've read about a sticker for my car to be able to use some state
lands. A call to the licensing office told me that there are no
restrictions on getting this for non-residents or rental cars. If I
do not get one will I be missing out on much? It sounds like they are
widely available (Wal-mart, etc.).

Are there any nice slow ferries up that way that would be worth making
a round trip on?

Are there any groups making trips up that way that weekend?

Thanks for any ideas or thoughts.

Roy Harvey
rmharvey at snet.net
Beacon Falls, CT