Subject: [Tweeters] Skagit/Samish yesterday 2005-02-01 (LONG)
Date: Feb 2 16:01:08 2005
From: Michael Hobbs - birdmarymoor at verizon.net


Tweets - Matt Bartels and I headed north to the Skagit and Samish yesterday
with thoughts of snagging some of the more unusual birds that have recently
been reported from up there, but most especially looking for the Rusty
Blackbird.

We ended up meeting near the Skagit WRA a bit after 8:00 a.m., where we
found virtually no visible blackbirds. There were some near the barn and
silo to the west, and we ventured over there before being informed that the
drive and grounds are private property (we were hoping the road was OK, but
it's not). We did have time to look through a lot of Red-winged and
Brewer's Blackbirds and starlings without success.

After having had to leave, and with no blackbirds in sight, we decided to
drive up to the West 90 to try for the Gyrfalcon, which we failed to see.
Matt did spot one falcon on the ground east of the T, but it was an adult
PEREGRINE FALCON. We found many other large, gray birds on the fields, but
they were all too long of leg and neck. We decided they must be Gyraffe
Falcons Sometimes they also go by the name of Great Blue Heron.

Having struck out again, and having forgotten to go look for the previously
reported Glaucous Gull, we headed BACK to the Skagit WRA for the Rusty.

There were STILL no blackbirds around, so we walked the entire dike at the
WRA, and failed to any good owls or sparrows. So we gave up and decided to
head to Snohomish to try for the Swamp Sparrow and Clay-colored Sparrow that
had been reported south of town. Hey - the day was going so well, why NOT
try?

However, on our way out on Wylie Rd, we came across a large mixed flock of
European Starling, Red-winged and Brewer's Blackbird, and House Sparrow near
a house and on some fields. They were very nervous. The reason soon became
obvious when they were flushed by a MERLIN which had them all swirling in
the air.

As the Merlin headed north, the flock divided, with most landing well away
from the road, but about 30-40 birds, mostly Brewer's, landed on the wires
next to my car! As I scanned through them, the pale iris of the RUSTY
BLACKBIRD was very apparent on the 9th bird. For about 5 minutes or more,
Matt and I got to look at the Rusty on the wire. I got one good look of the
back, and I could clearly see the reddish back and gray rump, but for the
rest of the time we were looking up at the front of the bird.

In yellow afternoon sun, at that angle, it was amazing how much the Rusty
resembled the female Brewer's right next to it. Luckily, the Rusty did a
bit of preening, so we got to see some different angles. The back of the
neck was decidedly reddish when it turned it's head. If the bird was
looking down at us, the black eye-line or mask was very visible (though it
all-but-disappeared at other angles). The golden supercillium was not that
clearly delineated, looking more like golden eye-shadow than a
"supercillium". The bill was noticably longer than that of the BRBL. The
chin and throat were noticably more golden than on the BRBL as well. And
the eye was VERY distinctive. Unfortunately, when they flew down to the
ground, we could not spot her again.

We did venture over to the Old Snohomish-Monroe Highway to look for the
sparrows, but there we found MaryFrances Mathis who had been there for
hours. She told us that the Clay-colored HAD been seen that morning, but
that she had not found it between about 11:00 and the time we arrived (maybe
3:00?). We searched with her, and later with Gene Hunn as well. No CCSP,
though we did find a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and a LINCOLN'S SPARROW among
the Song, White-crowned, and Golden-crowned Sparrows. There were also both
TRUMPETER and TUNDRA SWAN in the green field with Canada Geese. Earlier
there had been a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED and at least one CACKLING GOOSE as
well, according to MaryFrances.

We also got to watch a MERLIN attack a flock of European Starlings for about
a minute and a half. The Merlin made repeated passes at the flock, which
balled itself up. It was great to watch the flock deform and clump as they
dodged the falcon. Sadly, (for us and for the Merlin), the effort was too
great, and the Merlin broke off without having caught a starling.

MaryFrances mentioned that she had earlier had an OSPREY seen flying over
the river from the access on Short School Rd. I tried my luck there at
sunset, and found a roost with thousands of AMERICAN CROW in the cottonwoods
to the southwest.

So, except for the RUBL, the day was pretty much a bust, though it was fun.

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland, WA
== http://www.scn.org/fomp/birding.htm
== birdmarymoor at verizon.net