Subject: [Tweeters] Red Fox Sparrow
Date: Oct 4 20:12:02 2004
From: SGMlod at aol.com - SGMlod at aol.com


Greetings All

Sorry for the delay. Ahhhh, if birdbox was only working.

I was out all weekend, not arriving home until late last pm.

The bird(s) of the weekend --- 2 RED FOX SPARROWS --- were on Ebey Island,
just outside of Everett. The directions given below only work on weekends, as
Home Acres Road is currently closed for construction during the week.

Take US-2 east from I-5. Take the Home Acres Road exit and follow the road as
it curves south and then back west paralleling US-2. Home Acres Rd then turns
abruptly south. Take the first left turn. After a short ways (maybe 1/4 to
1/2 mile) you can see a slough that approaches but doesn't quite reach the road
on your left.

I found the Red Fox Sparrows because one was singing!!! And though, in
retrospect, the song is Fox Sparrow like, it is more warbler like than our birds.
Anyway, the western Stokes Tapes/CDs have a nice rendition of various Fox
Sparrow songs.

Interestingly, landbirding from Port Townsend to the Elwha River Mouth
revealed no montane birds other than an EVENING GROSBEAK at the Elwha. Indeed, we
couldn't find a Red-breasted Nuthatch. Must be were all of those RBNUs across
the country are coming from. There were also about 10 THAYER'S GULLS in the
swarm of 2000+ gulls there. Birding the trails on the east side of the Elwha, we
(Sam Terry and I) had 100+ SOOTY FOX SPARROWS in a small area (maybe a walk of
1/2 to 1 mile). Also present was a getting-late YELLOW WARBLER.

At the boat works at Port Townsend there was a RUDDY TURNSTONE among the
other rocky shorebirds. At Kah Tai Lagoon there was 75 MYRTLE WARBLERS, a YELLOW
WARBLER, and an EARED GREBE. At the 3 Crabs Restaurant pond, there was a
PECTORAL SAND. At Crockett Lake, 3 SANDHILL CRANES.

And that's about it; not too bad given the foggy afflictions on Sunday.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow