Tweeters:

Just wanted to pass along the results of the spring 2004 Graysmarsh survey.
For those not familiar with the site, it is just north of Sequim in Clallam
County; only the beach is open to the public, but one can see a fair amount
on some days from there. On the other hand, the old access parking off
Willcox Rd is blocked and so parking is a challenge.

Sunday was a pretty good day weather-wise, especially in the morning. We
ran the survey earlier this year in hopes of getting a few species we'd
missed in later May surveys, and were rewarded: one got one new one,
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, which had been amazingly overdue since the invariably
winter as close as Sequim Bay. Anne Winskie birding with me got a confirm
on bird(s) that I'd seen from afar earlier. In general, it was a super day
for duck diversity, as I had thought might be the case. In all, we had an
even 100 species for the day, including a number of other highlights. Birds
of note, stressing those whose numbers or presence seem migration-related:

Pacific Loon 29
Eared Grebe 4
EUR. GREEN-WINGED TEAL 1
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE 2 (off s. Grays)
EURASIAN WIGEON 2 (only second time!)
GLAUCOUS GULL 1 (third-winter right along beach, about 3rd)
Tree Swallow 252 (the largest number I had ever seen in one place anywhere)
Violet-green Swallow 32
N. ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW 1 (my earliest ever by three days)
BARN SWALLOW 1 (possibly two present)
Hermit Thrush 1 (singing bird)
Orange-crowned Warbler 8
White-throated Sparrow 1 (almost surely same bird that overwintered)

The TREE SWALLOW passage was really impressive and perhaps an undercount--it
was difficult to estimate the swirling flocks. Birds sometimes engulfed us,
hawking insects low, coming almost close enough to touch, and twice I saw
impressive roosts take wing, with dozens of birds involved. Also remarkable
in my experience was the ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER movement--never have I had
so many birds this early in the season; in fact, earliest migrants I've had
before have been in the March 27-30 range, with first migrants usually April
1-10.

Of the non-avian notables, I had two territorial RIVER OTTERS far inside the
marsh, one of which lifted itself as far from the water as it could manage,
as close as it dared, in order to look as large as possible and in order to
hiss at me. Although intended for intimidation, the behavior came off as
very humorous, as are the other antics of the species, adding to what had
already become another memorable day at Grays.

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com

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