Subject: [Tweeters] Point Roberts Birding, October 23
Date: Oct 24 21:11:35 2004
From: Wayne C. Weber - contopus at telus.net


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

Date: October 23, 2004
Location: Point Roberts, Whatcom County, Washington

Low temperature: 46 degrees fahrenheit High temperature: 54 degrees
fahrenheit
Wind direction: Variable
Prevailing wind speed: 6-11 km/h gusting to: 12-19 km/h
Percentage of sky covered by clouds: 30%
Precipitation: none

The following birds were observed by Wayne Weber at Point Roberts,
Whatcom County, WA on October 23, 2004 between 9:30 AM and 6:00 PM.

During the late morning, I birded for about an hour at Lighthouse
Marine Park with Len and Diane Jellicoe. Len got several photos of
the Ruddy Turnstone feeding on the beach with Black Turnstones.

Areas covered were Benson Road west of Tyee Drive, Lighthouse Marine
Park, Edwards Drive, Lily Point, and the Point Roberts Marina.

The weather varied from partly cloudy to almost clear. Winds were
from the SE to SW at about 10 to 20 km/hr, but were not very
noticeable away from the shoreline. The tide was low (4.9 feet) at
8:10 AM, rising to a high of 15.1 feet at 3:30 PM.

Two DOUGLAS SQUIRRELS were heard calling in the forest, and a HARBOR
SEAL was seen in the ocean off Lighthouse Marine Park.

Birds seen (in taxonomic order):

Red-throated Loon 1
Pacific Loon 1 [1]
Common Loon 20
Pied-billed Grebe 4 [2]
Horned Grebe 40
Red-necked Grebe 2 [3]
Western Grebe 15
Brandt's Cormorant 3 [4]
Double-crested Cormorant 80 [5]
Pelagic Cormorant 12
Great Blue Heron 12 [6]
Brant 5 [7]
Gadwall 3 [8]
American Wigeon 2 [9]
Mallard 25
Greater Scaup 75 [10]
Harlequin Duck 40 [11]
Surf Scoter 120
White-winged Scoter 40
Black Scoter 20 [12]
Long-tailed Duck 50 [13]
Bufflehead 5
Hooded Merganser 9 [14]
Common Merganser 2 [15]
Red-breasted Merganser 50 [16]
Bald Eagle 1 [17]
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 [18]
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Killdeer 5
Ruddy Turnstone 1 [19]
Black Turnstone 40
Sanderling 200 [20]
Western Sandpiper 50
Dunlin 250 [21]
Common Snipe 2
Bonaparte's Gull 40 [22]
Heermann's Gull 2 [23]
Mew Gull 130 [24]
Glaucous-winged Gull 100
Common Murre 8 [25]
Pigeon Guillemot 18 [26]
Marbled Murrelet 2 [27]
Rock Dove 2
Barred Owl 1 [28]
Belted Kingfisher 1 [29]
Downy Woodpecker 1 [30]
Northern Flicker 4
Northwestern Crow 25
Black-capped Chickadee 10
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 15
Bewick's Wren 1
Winter Wren 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet 6
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 6
American Robin 90 [31]
Varied Thrush 3
European Starling 100
Cedar Waxwing 40 [32]
Spotted Towhee 8
Savannah Sparrow 3 [33]
Fox Sparrow 20 [34]
Song Sparrow 20
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Golden-crowned Sparrow 20
Dark-eyed Junco 5
Red-winged Blackbird 4
Brewer's Blackbird 15
Purple Finch 1
House Finch 12
Pine Siskin 80 [35]
House Sparrow 10

Footnotes:

[1] Pacific Loon-- breeding plumage, off Lighthouse Marine Park
[2] Pied-billed Grebes-- all in slough near marina
[3] Red-necked Grebes-- Lily Point
[4] Brandt's Cormorants-- off Lighthouse Marine Park
[5] D-c. Cormorant-- most on pilings at W end of Gulf Road
[6] Great Blue Heron-- 8 of 12 birds in field near marina
[7] BRANT-- flock of 5 in flight off Lighthouse Marine Park; very
early
[8] Gadwall-- in pond on Edwards Dr.
[9] Am. Wigeon-- pair in pond on Edwards Dr.
[10] Greater Scaup-- 14 off Lily Point, 9 in pond on Edwards Dr.,
rest in flock on ocean N of Lighthouse Marine Park
[11] Harlequin Duck-- most off Lily Point
[12] Black Scoter-- Most at Lighthouse Marine Park; one flock of 9m,
2f
[13] Long-tailed Duck-- 8 off Lily Point; remainder in small flocks
(up to 12) flying S at Lighthouse Marine Park
[14] Hooded Mergansers-- pond on Edwards Dr.
[15] Common Merganser-- pair in flight at entrance to marina
[16] Red-br. Merganser-- nearly all of Lily Point
[17] Bald Eagle-- ad. perched for awhile on pilings, Lighthouse
Marine Park
[18] Sharp-shinned Hawk-- circling over shopping center at Tyee Dr.
and Gulf Road
[19] RUDDY TURNSTONE-- Adult with Black Turnstones at Lighthouse
Marine Park
[20] Sanderling-- large flock (mixed with Dunlin and Western
Sandpipers) on and near breakwater at marina entrance
[21] Dunlin-- flock of 50 in flight at Lighthouse Marine Park, 100 in
flight off Lily Point, 100 with Sanderlings at breakwater
[22] Bonaparte's Gull-- most feeding offshore with Mew Gulls
[23] Heermann's Gull-- 2 adults, breakwater at marina entrance
[24] Mew Gull-- most feeding odd Lighthouse Marine Park
[25] Common Murres-- off Lighthouse Marine Park
[26] Pigeon Guillemot-- high count; 16 off Lily Point, 2 off
Lighthouse Marine Park
[27] Marbled Murrlet-- 2 flying S off Lily Point
[28] BARRED OWL-- heard calling 4 times in forest S of cemetery at
Lily Point, 4:30 PM
[29] Belted Kingfisher-- female, along slough E of marina
[30] Downy Woodpecker-- male near Lily Pt.
[31] Am. Robin-- large flocks along Benson Road, near Lily Point,
and along slough near marina
[32] Cedar Waxwing-- feeding on hawthorn berries & crabapples, Benson
Road
[33] Savannah Sparrow-- one at brush pile on Benson Rd., 2 in weeds
near marina entrance
[34] Fox Sparrow-- several singing loudly; 6 at one spot on Benson
Road
[35] Pine Siskin-- large flocks on Benson Road and at Lily Point

Total number of species seen: 71