Tweeters,
I am inspired by this great list of birders so my husband and I went on a day trip up to the Skagit Wildlife Area yesterday. It was our first official birding adventure away from our own yard in several years. (We do see quite a bit here at our rural home in Renton.) The weather was fantastic.

The first bird to greet us was a NORTHERN HARRIER. We saw quite a gathering of ducks mostly dabbling with their rumps pointed upward and a few divers. There were many pairs of GREEN WINGED TEAL'S, 1 pair of BUFFLE HEAD, 1 MALE CANVASBACK, RUDDY DUCKS, 3 FEMALE HOODED MERGANZERS having the usual bad hair day, MALLARDS, SHOVELLERS, and AMERICAN WIGEONS. There was an immature PEREGRINE FALCON sunning himself on a post. Another NORTHERN HARRIER flashed his white rump. There were a few TREE SWALLOWS, and we could hear the MARSH WRENS singing their hearts out, but I could not find them. There were a few SONG SPARROWS, ROBINS, HERRING GULLS AND RED WING BLACKBIRDS.

We also found one little DOWITCHER but I cannot tell a long billed from a short billed. I heard a KILLDEER but did not see her either. We looked for the SNOW GEESE, but could not find them.

We drove up through the tulip fields, (dodging cars and tulip tourists) to Padilla Bay and had lunch on a bench in the sun behind the Interpretive Center. There was a lot of salmon berry in bloom and sure enough, a FEMALE RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD showed up. I heard a wren singing his heart out in the woods and walked in the thicket to see and there was a WINTER WREN sitting on a log brazen as can be. It is always a thrill to see one and hear his song.

We also saw a FEMALE RUBY CROWNED KINGLET moving quickly to catch insects through the thicket. The trees nearby were filled with HOUSE SPARROWS, but we also saw a WHITE CROWNED SPARROW singing on a branch. He has a beautiful song to sing as well. There were CHESTNUT BACKED CHICKADEES, BARN SWALLOWS, STARLINGS, and a pair of SAVANNAH SPARROWS chasing each other around the field. Walking across the road to the bay we saw quite a few GREAT BLUE HERONS, but not nearly what we have seen when the tide is out. As we drove onto I5 to go home, we saw a BALD EAGLE. Only CROWS along the road. That made 30 species for the trip. There were probably more to find but we are really out of practice in the field.

Nancy
Renton, WA.
n.lander at comcast.net