Subject: [Tweeters] SAS Whidbey trip
Date: Aug 21 08:48:43 2005
From: B & P Bell - bellasoc at isomedia.com


Hi Ho Tweets

Steve Gerstle and I led a Seattle Audubon trip to Whidbey Island yesterday. The day started out nice and sunny at our meeting place down in Seattle, but by the time we got to Mukilteo we had gone thru fog and were still under it down by the ferry terminal. Had a nice, breeding plumage MARBLED MURRELET working the area off the terminal, not much else around there. There were several BONAPARTE'S GULLs around the Clinton terminal. Our first stop was on the western side of Deer Lagoon where we got very nice comparison views of GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGs side by side. Had a couple of HOODED MERGANSER also in the area, lots of CASPIAN TERNS flying over with their raucous calls. An OSPREY passed by, and came back a while later carrying a large fish. A bit further down the dike, the larger open water had many yellowlegs, lots of NORTHERN SHOVELER's, a couple of BLUE-WINGED TEAL flew by, MARSH WRENs were working the margins over, a few "eclipse" MALLARDs were hanging around and an immature COOPER'S HAWK was in the area. Tons of swallows were very active including BARN, CLIFF, VIOLET-GREEN and NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED. A COMMON YELLOWTHROAT was working back and forth across the slough channel and SAVANNAH SPARROWs were flushed from the grass along the dike trail.

Moving down to the county park at Double Bluff we hit a spot of bird activity. As we arrived we had both BLACK-CAPPED and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEEs, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BEWICK'S WREN, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, lots of immature WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWs, a SPOTTED TOWHEE and HOUSE FINCH. An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER gave us a brief look. All the while three BALD EAGLES were perched in the tree right by the parking lot. Out on the Sound, there was a raft of COMMON MURREs, a few RHINOCEROS AUKLETs and some more BONAPARTE'S GULLs. Along the distant (the tide was way out) "surf" line a group of SANDERLINGS was running around. Views here were more obscured as the fog was lower.

A quick stop at Bush Point gave close looks at COMMON MURRE and RHINOCEROS AUKLET, but all else was in the fog.

The fog was still present at Crockett Lake so the distant views were out, but close by we could see yellowlegs, some SEMIPALMATED PLOVERs, both LONG and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS (including a couple side by side for comparison). Three NORTHERN HARRIERs were working the area, lot of CASPIAN TERNs, many CALIFORNIA and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLs, numbers of WESTERN SANDPIPERs and just a few LEAST SANDPIPERs. Down by the Keystone ferry terminal PELAGIC CORMORANTs were on the old platform and a gaggle of HEERMANN'S GULLs were on the end of the jetty. Fog was still a problem and we could not scan any distance out into Admiralty Inlet.

Up at Fort Casey for lunch we had a calling OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER in the top of one of the trees. A GREAT HORNED OWL was perched in the open in one of the relatively bare trees, it was thoroughly uninterested in us or the large party of amateur radio folks in the vicinity. While we watched it preened and scratched, giving good looks at the impressive claws. A RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH and a YELLOW WARBLER chased each other from tree to tree, and were joined by a couple of other nuthatches. By the end of lunch the sun finally came out.

Penn Cove had some PIGEON GUILLEMOTS scattered around, and down by Kennedy Lagoon there were many more as well as three COMMON LOONS. A nice RED-NECKED GREBE was there, several SURF SCOTERS (imm. or female). Out at Point Partridge we had five HARLEQUIN DUCKs in non-breeding plumage and some distant DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTs. Up the road at the Hastie Lake Rd access point were a couple of other Harlequins.

The overlook at Swantown had a at least two hundred SURF SCOTERs strung out, including some males still in breeding plumage. Across the road Bos Lake had many "eclipse" MALLARDs, quite a number of NORTHERN SHOVELER, a few NORTHERN PINTAIL, a couple of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, a few WESTERN SANDPIPERS, and a flock of DUNLIN that were being actively hunted by an inexperienced immature PEREGRINE FALCON (five passes over 15 minutes with not even any close calls).

Scattered at various places around the island were AMERICAN CROWs, GREAT BLUE HERONs, singles of BELTED KINGFISHER, VAUX'S SWIFT, CALIFORNIA QUAIL, NORTHERN FLICKER, COMMON RAVEN, SONG SPARROW, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD and HOUSE SPARROW.

A quick stop at the Jensen Access on Fir Island on the way home at high tide didn't result in any shorebirds, but out at the water there were several hundred COMMON MERGANSER.

It was a day that started out slow, got really active for a while, slowed down again a kept up a slow steady pace for the rest of the day. The fog was frustrating early, but we ended in sun and wound up seeing 78 species in what was "a good day".

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville Wa
bellasoc at isomedia.com