Tweeters:

Anne Winskie and I completed our bi-annual migration survey at Graysmarsh
yesterday, Sept. 21. We finished with 110 species, perhaps a few above
average; there was one notable rarity, a slightly-early breeding-plumaged
(!) YELLOW-BILLED LOON off the public beach access just after dawn. The
bird actually flew over the marsh, as if contemplating landing, and then
opted for the shallow waters off the beach. Nice bird. The weather was
quite favorable and temps ranged from about 45-66 F.

HIGHLIGHTS:

YELLOW-BILLED LOON 1 (main public beach, breeding plumage!)
nice count of Red-necked Grebes
Blue-winged Teal 3
Cinnamon Teal 6
high count for Com. Merganser along beach
Merlin 1
Virginia Rail 8
Sora 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 3
Long-billed Dowitcher 11
Red-necked Phalarope 4
PARASITIC JAEGER 1 (light-morph ad., also a likely juv. later)
N. Saw-whet Owl 2
sapsucker, sp. 1
clear movement of N. Flickers
Horned Lark 4
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER 1 (forest buffer by public beach access)
HOUSE WREN 1 (scrub near beach; breeds locally at Grays but this was our
first fall migrant)
Swainson's Thrush 1
Hermit Thrush 1
Am. Pipit about 50
CASSIN'S VIREO 1
Warbling Vireo 1
6 warbler sp., including 1 MacGillivray's and 1 Wilson's, over 100
Yellow-rumped
Lapland Longspur 1 (heard only)

Anne get specials kudos on the OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, finding it first;
this very late bird stood for a moment at the tip of a dead cedar, and if
memory serves the all-time latest date for WA is a Sequim bird years back on
Sept. 22--just one day later. The HOUSE WREN was also a nice find as we
usually only have them in spring-summer. There were numerous other migrants
(plenty of sparrows, for example).

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com

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