Tweeters:

Yesterday I decided to stake out a few sites near Marysville, including the
Marysville STP. The most notable find were 3 CINNAMON TEAL (a drake and two
hen) on the southern of the two ponds, in with a horde of other ducks:
Lesser Scaup, N. Shoveler and Ring-necked Ducks were especially numerous.
It was encouraging that Cinnamon Teal were still hanging in there with all
the colder-than-average temps lately. There was a drake here last year that
made count-week for the Everett CBC. Speaking of that CBC, we are still
hoping to find someone to help Susie Schaefer for this Marysville territory
next Saturday Dec. 17. Also of interest among 53 species found in a couple
hours' birding here:

Ring-necked Pheasant 1 (near north edge of n. pond, sometimes missed on the
CBC)
Western Gull 1 (single in w/hordes of Mew, GW, and GW x W., north pond)
Am. Pipit 2
Lincoln's Sparrow 15 (most in low canary grass-brambly marshy ground off n.
edge of north pond)

There was also a HARLAN'S RT HAWK (1st year) near the confluence of Hwy 2
and I-5. Mary Teesdale reports that the W. SCRUB-JAY that was present last
year near the s. edge of Jennings Park in Marysville at a residence along
4th has returned, and has been seen recently. With the onset of colder
weather, we are seeing alot of activity at our feeders eastward in n. Lake
Stevens, including two N. Flickers and a Hairy Woodpecker (both first-time
visitors), also a Fox Sparrow (scarce visitor) over this weekend. The
flickers were really entertaining, they seemed almost more curious about the
wooden feeder's construction that the feed within it; I had never seen our
Steller's Jays yield to any other bird until today, but one was chased off
the feeder by one of the flickers.

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