Tom Aversa and I birded the lowlands yesterday, January 8, from near Silvana
north to Bow. Not much songbird activity although there were a lot of VARIED
THRUSHES around, particularly along road edges through wooded areas and at
apple trees with fruit on the ground. We looked unsuccessfully at English
Boom for the Spotted Sandpiper Dave Swayne and I had found last Saturday on
the Skagit Bay CBC, and for the American Avocet another party had found at
Big Ditch. Gone, too, were the large American Pipit flocks recorded on that
count -- in fact, we observed not a single pipit. Four WHITE-THROATED
SPARROWS were in the sparrow flocks at the Skagit Game Range (three
tan-striped and one white-striped). A GREAT HORNED OWL was roosting in a
large conifer at the back of the last field on the left, but the Barred Owl
that has been seen regularly at the Game Range eluded us. At the Samish West
90, the immature GYRFALCON was on a post at the far end of the fencerow
running south from the corner along the ditch. Toward sunset, several
SHORT-EARED OWLS began working the field, joined by two or more BARN OWLS as
night fell. We watched them hunting until it got too dark to see.

Hal Opperman
Medina, Washington
hal at catharus.net