Greetings All:
Fred Boesche and I retraced our steps from a month ago, birding from Silvana
to Samish. We started along Norman Rd at 8:00am. Many birds in the area
(sparrows, blackbirds) but not a whole lot of note. A Merlin was our first
falcon of the day. We headed over to Boe Rd which is across Marine Drive.
Tens of thousands of Dunlin were displaying as usual over Port Susan Bay. In
my scope we could pick out a CATTLE EGRET perched in some trees on a
hillside a mile or two to the south. We moved on to Thomle Rd south of
Stanwood. There was an Orange-crowned Warbler in a mixed flock of birds,
pretty typical. In with a small flock of siskins were my first two COMMON
REDPOLLS of the season. We also checked Eide Road on Camano Island, but it
was very slow birding. At Big Ditch were two Peregrines and a couple
shrikes, no Snowy Owl in sight.
On Fir Island we had a lot of the expected species including large numbers
of swans and Snow Geese. There was also a CATTLE EGRET foraging in a lawn
near the Cowtown Farms site. Towards the end of the day we checked the
Samish Flats rather thoroughly. The Gyrfalcon was not around, in fact there
was not much to be seen outside of harriers. Right at sunset I scanned the
ducks in Alice Bay. There were a good number of Eurasian Wigeons out there
and a single COMMON TEAL.

That's about all,
cheers and good birding.
Charlie Wright
Bonney Lake, Washington