Subject: [Tweeters] Skagit Trip
Date: Feb 2 09:20:18 2005
From: Paul Webster - paul.webster at comcast.net


Hi Tweets,

On February 1, we made our third trip of the season to see the Gyr at the
Samish Flats; the first two trips had been rainy, but today was clear,
sunny, and the temperature suggested spring was on the way. Two hours around
the West 90 gave us a good assortment of Red-tails, Rough-legs (both in
assorted morphs), Northern Harriers, and Bald Eagles, plus knock-out views
of two feeding Merlins -- but without the Gyr. One mystery raptor perched
between us and the sun at a distance of 300 yards that might have been a
large falcon, but we just couldn't say for sure.

So we had coffee in Anacortes, and checked out March Point and Washington
Park. Low tide made many waterfowl hard to see, but we found small numbers
of the usual suspects, including six Harlequin Ducks near Fidalgo Head in
shallow water churning up mud and small rocks with their feet in search of
food. We stopped at the Jensen Access on Fir Island, and had a few minutes
at Big Ditch near Stanwood just before the light failed. Our drive back to
Seattle featured a pretty sunset for much of the way. It was great to be out
there, even if some of the expected birds eluded us. Species total: 42.

Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Trumpeter Swan
Tundra Swan
Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Green-winged Teal
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Greater Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
Common Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Bald Eagle
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Merlin
Black Oystercatcher
Black-bellied Plover
Dunlin
Ring-billed Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Northern Flicker
Marsh Wren
American Robin
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
American Crow
Common Raven
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
House Sparrow

Paul Webster
Seattle
paul.websterATcomcast.net