Some problems with work schedule left me with nothing better to do, this glorious Tuesday (30-40 degrees F, clear skies, mostly without wind) than to head up to the Samish Flats today. Bummer ;)

I carefully planned to try a new strategy this time. Instead of doing my usual route (the one Ed Deal and I usually do when we're trying for a five falcon species day) I would start looking for raptor food first and then hang out with them to see what would happen. Where there's food, predators usually show up.

Too bad about good intentions. Once I turned off Chuckanut Drive onto Field Rd. I forgot all about my plan at the sight of the first flock of swans in the fields. All Trumpeter Swans, vocalizing as they took turns keeping a watchful eye on a Coyote standing at the far edge of the field pondering his/her chances at a biiiig meal. Scanning the trees beyond the field I spotted an adult Peregrine Falcon preening away in the early (08:45) morning sunshine.

One stop, one falcon. Not a bad start of the day.

The next stop netted some Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles, Western Meadowlarks, European Starlings, Red-winged and Brewer's blackbirds, Song Sparrows but no other falcon.

After this I decided to do D'Arcy road and lucked out. The pair of American Kestrels was sitting on the wires just before the intersection with Bayview-Edison Road. I spent some time observing them, but apart from a few perch switches, not much happened.

Working my way north I ended up at the T of Bayview-Edison and Samish Island roads. Just as I planned to turn left towards the West 90 I spotted the head of a raptor sticking up behind the top of a power pole to my right. Change of plans; turn right. I went two more poles down and pulled up on the side of the road. Got out slowly and confirmed the initial id: Prairie Falcon. Nice adult with yellow cere and legs, thin "malar" (more moustachial) stripe, sparse brown spotting down the white bib and chest. Noticed the bird had some prey 'jerky' stuck to its upper mandible and a nice crop. This bird had already had breakfast. It was, after all 10:15.

Looking around I noticed an adult Bald Eagle standing in the full sunshine in one of the large puddles in the adjacent grass field. What I initially interpreted as brown dirt heaps with a frosty fringe turned out to be about 8000 dozing Dunlins. The tide was really high and they were lining the shallow puddles in the field. Most of the birds with bill tucked, one leg pulled up, and not a single peep from them. Siesta time in the sunshine.

Occasionally checking on the falcon I scanned some more and found one single Western Sandpiper among the many Dunlins. Then, to my surprise I found another Western Sandpiper all by itself, some 300 feet away from the flock, standing on the edge of a different puddle, also with its bill tucked, and the white feathers of the eyelid indicating that it had its eye toward me closed. Not a healthy situation, since both the eagle and the falcon were beyond me in the same direction.

I looked at the falcon and sure enough it took off. Perfect setting, the sun in my back here the bird was coming right in front of me. The bird flapped its wings a few times, providing an excellent view of the dark underwing coverts (axillars) before setting its wings and gliding at a shallow angle not 50 feet away from me in the direction of the "sleeping" sandpiper. There was no traffic and no wind, so I could actually hear the swishing noise of the wind caressing the bird's silky plumage as it passed. The full crop a clear bulge in the throat. Perhaps the noise woke up the sandpiper, but it was too late. I heard a distinct "snap" as the falcon extended its talons and made contact with the flurry of sandpiper. Then the falcon started pumping hard, crossed the road to the east of me, and tried to get away to the south. As the falcon sped away the lumbering shape of an adult Bald Eagle came into my binocular view. I assumed the same one that had been standing in the field watching the same events I had been watching.

Sure enough the eagle gained on the falcon and the falcon chose to relinquish the prized possession. The dead Dunlin plummeted toward the frigid stubble field below but a quick twist and the eagle snatched it out of the air with its talons. As the falcon continued south and landed in a power pole along Bayview-Edison Road, near Sullivan (a good place to look for it) the eagle made short shrift of the Dunlin. Three bites and it was gone. Only a few feathers remained on the black soil. The eagle flew back to the puddle where it had been before, passing right next to the flock of snoozing Dunlins who did not respond.

By now a I had remembered about my intended strategy of looking for the food and staying with it. Nothing could make me leave here now. Just wait and see what would happen next.

An immature male Northern Harrier was the next "disturbance." I could clearly see the male's pale eye color as he patrolled the far corn stubble and then started to "test" the Dunlin flock. I've never seen such a good imitation of a falcon by a non-falcon! High speed flapping flight low along the field, shoot up into the cloud of wheeling Dunlins, fold the wings back like narrow pointed oars and make sharp twist and turns through the flock. But to no avail. Six attempts netted no catch, just a very skittish flock of Dunlins and a retreating harrier. Interesting to note that no matter which part of the field the majority of the Dunlins went to, the adult eagle would turn to face that direction. I guess it was planning on somebody else being foolish enough to let its hunting instinct get the better of it and make a kill for the eagle.

At this point I was joined by Mike and Vicky, fellow Falcon Research Group members, who joined me in our wait for the next act.

We didn't have to wait long. A prairie falcon came swooping down and after some dodges made contact with a lone Sanderling. However its grip was not secure and Dunlin got away, plunging down and out of sight into some taller grass. The falcon turned and landed in the same pole the first one had been in. The eagle, who had already started its pursuit, returned to the same position in its private puddle. The prairie was an adult bird again, yet this one had no crop. I have to assume that we were looking at a second prairie, since the size of the crop of the previous bird would have taken several hours to pass into the digestive tract, not less than half an hour.

Some discussion on whether this was a prairie falcon rather than a pale peregrine falcon, but the bird, very obligingly opened the wings to show the axillars, so that ended that discussion quickly. I looked up and the flock of Dunlins was under attack. This time we had an immature, very dark, Peregrine Falcon strafing the flock repeatedly. No success. Then the prairie started chasing the peregrine, the two birds being fairly equal in size. As they sped northeast, "out of nowhere" a third falcon joined in, like a lightning bolt diving on the immature peregrine. Spectacular dives, with the immature falcon giving high-pitched alarm calls and the adult male peregrine (for that's what the third bird was) giving its territorial kakking call. We confirmed his id once he landed in a tree at the far end of the field. Trust me, we tried to make it into an adult male Merlin, but the full helmet and wide dark malar stripes, plus bright white front with small dark spots made that impossible. We were joined by another raptorfile, Paul, who had been watching the same spectacle, and we went through the whole; id-business of the third falcon again. Always good to check.

All of this action resulted in a complete clearing out of the field by the Dunlins. Probably a smart move. Time for us to move on too (noon).

I filled a couple more hours looking at many Red-tailed and Rough-legged hawks. At one point, from the corner at the pink house (along the Samish Island Road) I could scope four individual Harlan's Hawks. All of them with the distinct whitish tail-base with the dark terminal band, and overall blackish plumage. Yet all had some nice individual markings as well (like distinct white occeli; the white stripes/spots on the back of the head) that would have made it possible to identify them individually even if I had not been able to see them all at the same time.

Northern Harriers galore. I didn't bring my camera today, so of course I had the best opportunity ever to watch hunting harriers. Adults, immatures, males, females. They would fly by fully sunlit, filling the complete image in my scope's eyepiece. The ever-so-slightly ruffled upper wing coverts of a gliding bird. Exquisite.

I searched for Gyrfalcon. I scanned for Merlin, but it was not to be. No complaints though.

I guess my advise to Blake (Best place to find falcons on the flats?) is: find the food and be patient. You watch it and they will come......

Martin Muller, Seattle
MartinMuller at email.msn.com