Subject: [Tweeters] Sequim area on Nov 7
Date: Nov 8 10:57:00 2004
From: b&p bell - bellasoc at isomedia.com


Hi Tweets

Eight of us enjoyed a day from the Kitsap Peninsula up to Sequim
yesterday on a Seattle Audubon field trip. We started at the Edmonds
ferry terminal with some COMMON MERGANSERS near the beach. It was pretty
quiet going over but did have a BRANDT'S CORMORANT fly past, but had a
very nice flock of BARROW'S GOLDENEYE right at the Kingston terminal.

Our first stop was at Point No Point, where there was a continuous
stream of BONAPARTE'S GULLs going past, the usual aggregation of
HEERMANN'S GULLS, RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, HORNED GREBES, a flock of 35
BUSHTITs, a BALD EAGLE overhead, and the highlight for most of us were
four (in two groups) ANCIENT MURRELETS. One group did it classic dive
into the water from flight.

Next we stopped at Port Gamble and saw COMMON LOONS, RED-NECKED and
HORNED GREBES, more cormorants (DOUBLE-CRESTED), and LONG-TAILED DUCKs
at some distance (but nice thru the scopes). Just around the corner, at
Salsbury Point, we had SURF SCOTERS, RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, COMMON
LOON, some PIGEON GUILLEMOTS and several pairs of MARBLED MURRELETS.

We stopped at Diamond Point and had a nice close view at the boat launch
of a male HARLEQUIN DUCK. A flock of about 40 SANDERLINGS kept flying in
close to us and then moving away. We had excellent looks at COMMON
MURRES. On scanning the channel we saw three PACIFIC LOONS and got great
views under very nice light.

At the John Wayne Marina we had a nice flock of MEW GULLS, the usual
nice group of WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, many HOODED MERGANSERS, BUFFLEHEAD,
a COOPER'S HAWK FLEW in and the group of chickadees promptly
disappeared. After a brief lunch break we scanned more of the bay
picking up many of the birds we had previously seen, and got wonderful
looks at a PELAGIC CORMORANT perched on a piling at close range. As we
got ready to leave we saw a large group of shorebirds on the jetty.
There were at least 50 BLACK TURNSTONES, 30+ BLACK-BELLIIED PLOVERS,
maybe a dozen WESTERN SANDPIPERS, and a group of 5 probable DUNLIN (too
distant and obscured to be certain).

Our next stop was west of Sequim at the Kitchen Dick Ponds. There were
the usual gang of MALLARDS, some NORTHERN SHOVELERS, RING-NECKED DUCKS,
a GREATER SCAUP, a CANVASBACK, a CANADA GOOSE, lots of AMERICAN WIGEON,
and several HOODED MERGANSERS.

Cline Spit was almost totally devoid of birds, Oyster House did not have
a lot close by. On a gravel bar over by the Three Crabs area there was a
very large group of DUNLIN (probably 300) and several BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVER flew in. In the distance there were probably 300 DOUBLE-CRESTED
CORMORANT, and scattered around were about 500 GLAUCOUS
-WINGED/GLAUCOUS-WINGED-WESTERN gulls.

We went around to Three Crabs and found the expected convention of
AMERICAN WIGEON, with a couple of EURASIAN WIGEON and one
AMERICAN/EURASIAN WIGEON hybrid (red head and rusty pink flanks). A
single NORTHERN PINTAIL was mixed in along with an immature male COMMON
GOLDENEYE, and the gull mass included several WESTERN GULLS, CALIFORNIA
GULLS, and a couple of hundred GLACOUS-WINGED and GLACOUS-WINGED/WESTERN
hybrids. At the horse/Helen's pond area we enjoyed the new parking area
and saw many MALLARDS, NORTHERN PINTAIL, AMERICAN WIGEON and 8
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERs. An immature PEREGRINE FALCON made an extremely
clumsy pass over the ponds (the dowitchers were not looking and it could
have had one for the taking), flew off and perched. It gave the
impression that that it wasn't doing well, and perhaps was thin.

A nice day that was dry, turned sunny and was excellent for birds.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville WA
bellasoc at isomedia.com

Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe
Brandt's Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Bald Eagle
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Black Turnstone
Sanderling
Western Sandpiper
Dunlin
Long-billed Dowitcher
Bonaparte's Gull
Heermann's Gull
Mew Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Western Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Marbled Murrelet
Ancient Murrelet
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
American Robin
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin
House Sparrow

79 species