Subject: WOS Whidbey trip
Date: Aug 8 17:36:31 2004
From: b&pbell - bellasoc at isomedia.com


Hi Tweets

I led a WOS field trip to Whidbey Island yesterday. We started out the
day at Rosario Head in Deception Pass SP. We had 6 Black Oystercatchers
flying back and forth (and calling) north of the head. Many Pigeon
Guillemots were also in that area. A White-crowned Sparrow gave us views
from the tops of some shrubs, and the adjoining tree was loaded with
House Finches and some Chestnut-backed Chickadees and a Red-breasted
Nuthatch. A group of California Quail, including young ones, were
working the area near a picnic table over - probably leftovers from the
preceding day. A Common Raven called in the distance and Great Blue
Herons were patient on the rocks.

After a quick stop at west beach in Deception Pass SP, we headed for
Crockett Lake. The lake was covered with shorebirds the majority being
peeps and dowitchers. There were probably 3-400 Western Sandpipers, 50
Least Sandpipers, 3 Baird's Sandpipers that we saw, a Semipalmated
Sandpiper, a number of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and likely 300
dowitchers with both Short-billed and Long-billed present. Scurrying
around were some Semipalmated Plovers. Almost all of these birds were on
the inland side of the lake, but they were nicely visible by working our
way out through the thistles. An immature Northern Harrier passed
overhead a couple of times - not one of Jack Bettesworth's wing tagged
birds. A decent sized group of immature gulls was loafing in the
distance. Stopping at the parking lot near the ferry terminal we saw
some Pelagic Cormorants and Pigeon Guillemots on the old platform, and
many California and Heermann's Gulls on the jetty.

The alcids that Brendan and Ryan saw on their ferry trip were not close
to the bluffs at Fort Casey, one of the few times that almost nothing
has been visible from there.

At Hastie Lake Road boat ramp we saw a few Surf Scoters, more PGs and a
couple of Common Loons (both breeding and nonbreeding plumages). Four
Black Oystercatchers flew past the large group of immature gulls in the
distance, past us and on down the beach. About 5 minutes later they flew
back the other way, landing in with the gulls, and one of them took a
bath at the edge of the cobbly point the gulls were resting on.

Up near the low bluff by Bos Lake/Swantown we had many birds on the
surface at a distance, including lots of Pigeon Guillemots, a few Common
Murres, a couple hundred Rhinoceros Auklets, Common Loons, Surf Scoters,
a lone, distant White-winged Scoter and a Red-necked Grebe. Across the
road on the lake we had more Western and Least Sandpipers, a couple of
very unusual Dunlin, a Greater Yellowlegs and some undifferentiated
Dowitchers. Approximately 300 California Gulls, mostly adults were
loafing on the edge of the lake.

It was a nice day with good weather, little wind and ideal conditions.
We wound up seeing a total of 74 species for the day.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville Wa
bellasoc at isomedia.com

Canada Goose
Gadwall
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Hooded Merganser
California Quail
Common Loon
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Black Oystercatcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Bonaparte's Gull
Heermann's Gull
Mew Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Caspian Tern
Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Rhinoceros Auklet
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker - red-shafted
Eastern Kingbird (Spencer Island on the way home)
American Crow
Northwestern Crow (?)
Purple Martin (Rosario Head)
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren - h
Marsh Wren
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Common Yellowthroat
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird juvenile
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow