Dear Tweets,



Vicki King, Ilene Samowitz, Kristin Stewart and I looked for raptors in this
area beginning with the Samish Flats around 9 am in chilly, windy weather
with intermittent rain all day. The temperature never got out of the 30s. We
found lots of dabbling ducks in ponds along Josh Wilson Rd, scoped out a
mixed flock of some 50 Trumpeter and Tundra Swans along Thomas Rd (1
juvenile Trumpeter had a red neck band that seemed too tight). We began
spotting the first of 40+ Bald Eagles almost immediately, and found the
first of three Merlins for the day perched close to a Northern Shrike on
Allen West Rd. We followed Shiva Parameswaran around for an hour or so,
since he seemed to be having pretty good luck. We found a dark phase
Rough-legged Hawk near the East 90s on Samish Island Rd, and at the West 90
there were three Short-eared Owls hunting alongside two Northern Harriers.
Red-tailed Hawks dotted the area, we saw perhaps 36 today. After warming up
at lunch in Edison's Rhododendron Caf? we checked all along Samish Island Rd
for the Gyrfalcon, who was probably roosting somewhere out of the wind. On
the way to the Skagit we found a Harlan's Hawk on Bayview-Edison Rd, and a
female American Kestrel on D'Arcy Rd.



Heading south for the Skagit we found 3 dozen Mourning Doves in a tree by
Dodge Valley Rd, watched and photographed thousands of Snow Geese digging up
seed potatoes from a newly planted field near Rexville. A brief stop at the
Jensen Access area gave us a look at a Peregrine Falcon that flew off over
the water toward Stanwood. At the Skagit Wildlife Area on Fir Island Vicki
spotted a Barred Owl roosting not far from the headquarters building. A
Cooper's Hawk perched 100 yards away watching a half dozen Barn Swallows
above. All at once the Cooper's Hawk shot down into the Barred Owl's tree
and confronted the much larger owl from about 3 feet away. The owl had
dinner thoughts and leaped at the Cooper's who retreated to the next tree
and scolded: kek-kek-kek-kek, then made another brief pass at the owl and
flew away -- with the owl in pursuit to keep the hawk moving. Then the
Barred Owl perched first on an open branch and then on a parking lot sign
for victory pictures -- a beautiful bird! A Merlin dropped in to help us
celebrate the end to a pretty good day in Skagit County. See maps in: Hal
Opperman: A Birder's Guide to Washington, pp. 118 and 114.



Paul Webster

Seattle

paul.webster at comcast.net