Tweeters and Whatcom Birders,

On Friday, March 11, I visited Tennant Lake (near Ferndale, Whatcom
County) in hopes of finding some swallows. I was not disappointed. At
least 60 TREE SWALLOWS were actively feeding over and near the lake.
Although I scanned the flock for more than 20 minutes, I could not
find any Violet-green Swallows; all of the birds appeared to be TREE
SWALLOWS.

Other than the swallows, things were fairly quiet during this
afternoon visit. However, I did manage to find a total of 26 bird
species at and near Tennant Lake. A report that I sent to the
BIRDNOTES website (http://birdnotes.net )
is attached.

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net


----- Original Message -----
From: <contopus at telus.net>
To: <contopus at telus.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2004 3:54 AM
Subject: Census Count: Tennant Lake Wildlife Area, Whatcom County,
Washington on March 11, 2004


This report was mailed for Wayne Weber by http://birdnotes.net

Date: March 11, 2004
Location: Tennant Lake Wildlife Area, Whatcom County, Washington

Low temperature: 51 degrees fahrenheit High temperature: 53 degrees
fahrenheit
Wind direction: Variable
Prevailing wind speed: 1-5 km/h
Percentage of sky covered by clouds: 100%
Precipitation: none

The following birds were observed by Wayne Weber between about 3:00
and 5:15 PM on March 11, 2004, at and near Tennant Lake and the
Hovander Farm near Ferndale, WA. The weather was overcast and mild
with very little wind.

There were very few waterfowl on the lake, but at least 60 TREE
SWALLOWS were feeding over and near the lake, some of them skimming
just over the surface. There were lots of flying chironomids, which
is probably what the swallows were eating.

In addition to the birds, I heard at least two PACIFIC TREE-FROGS
calling near the lake.

Birds seen (in taxonomic order):

Great Blue Heron 4
Canada Goose 2
American Wigeon 28
Mallard 60
Bufflehead 10
Common Goldeneye 1 [1]
Bald Eagle 1 [2]
Northern Harrier 1
American Coot 1
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Mourning Dove 1 [3]
Northern Flicker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Northwestern Crow 50
Tree Swallow 60
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2
Bewick's Wren 1
Marsh Wren 8 [4]
American Robin 10
European Starling 40
Song Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Red-winged Blackbird 6
House Finch 4
House Sparrow 2

Footnotes:

[1] Common Goldeneye-- 1 female
[2] Bald Eagle-- 1 immature
[3] Mourning Dove-- 1 singing from dead snag on east side of
Tennant Lake
[4] Marsh Wren-- several males singing near Tennant Lake

Total number of species seen: 26