Dear Tweeters,

Today I saw two tagged immature Trumpeter Swans by the Dahlstedt Road, Skagit County (Butler Flats). They had red neck-tags with white identifiers, "F76" and "F42." If someone out there has the e-mail address for Martha Jordan, I think she (or somebody) might still be interested in such things.

On Sunday I got to see the albinistic Red-tailed Hawk on Interstate Ninety in King County. It was a few hundred feet east of mile marker 24, perched in a tree in the median strip. It was very white about the head, and had some darker marks on the belly. Freeway speeds prohibited a closer look, but I could see how this bird could be "transformed" into a rarer species with such a quick look.

Other fun birds today included the following: 8000 Snow Geese on Fir Island; at least 8 Short-eared Owls at the West Ninety (Samish Flats), along with a Barn Owl (quite cinnamon-colored below); and a (white-striped) White-throated Sparrow that has been at my feeder for about a month now.

Oh, and the Gyrfalcon made an appearance at the West Ninety as well. Lately I have seen it more than I have seen Peregrines or Merlins out there.

Good birding!



Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch

near Lyman (Skagit County), Washington

garybletsch at yahoo.com


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