Hi hi -
Thursday and Friday [Dec 9 & 10] I birded on San Juan Island.
Overall, the diversity of birds was pretty good, especially given the
near constant rain all day Thursday and all afternoon Friday.
Highlights included AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, ANCIENT MURRELET, an
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, and CACKLING GEESE. No hints of Skylarks
appeared in the 2 long trips through the American Camp fields. I also
spent too long in the last bits of daylight & with foggy glasses
trying hard to turn a plastic bag in a bush into a Snowy Owl -
eventually I trudged over to almost touch it, but not before I had
managed to see the ear tufts, and even guess the sex....

No shockingly rare birds, but here's the full list w/ some location
info since we don't seem to get many San Juan reports on Tweeters.
Almost all locations mentioned can be found in the WA ABA guide, pp.
101-5. I'd also recommend picking up a free San Juan Island map while
on the ferry for a few more place & street ideas.

Cackling Goose - 10+ in a large flock of Canadas along Bailer Hill
Rd, just w. of False Bay Rd.
Canada Goose - 100+ at above location
Trumpeter Swan - ~10 in Panorama Marsh, a few others scattered at
other lakes/ponds.
Gadwall - Panorama Marsh
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail - Panorama Marsh
Green-winged Teal - Jackson Beach [not in ABA guide, just s. of Fri
Harbor off Argyle Rd.]
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Harlequin Duck - many, at most shoreline spots
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter -only 2 seen, on departing ferry trip
Long-tailed Duck - ~4-5 seen on inbound ferry ride. Only ones for the trip.
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye - False Bay & Jackson Beach
Barrow's Goldeneye - only noted at Orcas Island ferry dock.
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Red-throated Loon - several seen from ferry, a few more from Cattle Point
Pacific Loon- on Friday[12/10], approx 50 were massed near Cattle Point.
Common Loon - scattered singles
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe - only one, in Friday Harbor marina area
Brandt's Cormorant - mostly seen from ferry ride, some at other shore stops
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle - everywhere. But I dipped on Golden Eagles this time.
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk - one scared a Kestrel off its perch at Cattle Point.
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Black-bellied Plover - 40-60 on fields above South Beach at American Camp
American Golden-Plover - at least 5-6, mixed in w/ the BBPLs. Good
comparison looks.
Killdeer - same fields as the other plovers.
Black Oystercatcher - 2 at Lime Kiln SP
Greater Yellowlegs - 1 at Jackson Beach
Black Turnstone - only seen along South Beach, near the west end of it.
Surfbird- one on island off Cattle Point
Dunlin - 100 or so in flock w/ BBPLs
Mew Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Common Murre - 10+ with the large Pacific Loon group off Cattle Point.
Ancient Murrelet - 4 in the same Pacific Loon group, several others
flying by Cattle Point
Rock Pigeon
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker - American Camp
Hairy Woodpecker - 4th of July Beach
Northern Flicker
Northern Shrike - 1 adult along the road to the Redoubt, fields above
South Beach, American Camp
American Crow
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Varied Thrush - 15-20 in close group at Lime Kiln SP
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler - one at Cattle Point, in bush across road
from trailhead to lighthouse
Spotted Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow - several at Cattle Point, South Beach, and elsewhere
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark - South Beach & fields above it mostly.
House Finch
Red Crossbill - 10+ near visitors center for American Camp
Pine Siskin - Several very large flocks of several hundred, most
notably at 4th of July Beach
House Sparrow - at feeder across from Cattle Point, and at Friday
Harbor ferry dock

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA
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