Hello Tweets,

The Burrowing Owl was again observed today by several birders during our visit after 1pm just west of the Marrowstone Island Lighthouse at Ft.Flagler State Park in Jefferson Co. We viewed the bird most readily soon upon a near 1/2 mile walk along the rocky/sandy beach from the parking area near the lighthouse. The bird was easily observed at one of two perches,as it stood in plain view just below the tall bluff. This location is mentioned in other recent postings as being just past a large drainage pipe sticking out of the bluff,then a series of two cables draping down off the bluff. The bird was observed along the rough incline of the bluff,where it has set up a roosting spot indicated by noticeable "whitewash". During our visit between 1pm-2pm the bird was first very nervous and alert by the presence of every bird that flew overhead or nearby including several gulls and Ravens. The bird would crouch and look straight into the air and would also occasionally hop to another perch,as well as to a more concealed location behind the whitewash area. The bird soon settled down and just stood perched above the whitewash area mainly facing away from us,but at times revealing it's banded legs. The right leg showed a(bicolored)black and green band with the numbers 4(in black)and the letter C(in green)with the left leg having a silver USFWS band with no clear numbers visible. These bands were also mentioned by Russell Rogers in his Tweeters posting on the 1st of February.The bird overall remained quite tolerable to us and other observers and we never approached the bird too closely,but we did obtain many photographs of the bird. Whatever the theory of how the bird got to this relatively remote location or it's exact "countability" it was a good bird to see and perhaps it may remain at this location for others to see.The bird is lost and it seems unclear if it could ever find it's way back to suitable areas and hopefully it won't fall prey to predators.

After watching the Burrowing Owl we checked the "settling ponds" near the large wooden dock followed by a visit made to the camping area at Ft.Flagler S.P.,which in turn produced the following highlights:

2 Red-throated Loons
8 Pacific Loons
220+ Western Grebes
68+ "Black"Brant
7 Northern Shovelers
12 Gadwall
1 Eurasian/Am.Wigeon intergrade
37+ Harlequin Ducks
1 Long-tailed Duck
1 Barrow's Goldeneye
1 adult Peregrine Falcon
2 Black-bellied Plovers
20 Black Turnstones
26 Sanderlings
110+ Dunlin
250+ Mew Gulls
9 Herring Gulls
12+ Thayer's Gulls
6 Marbled Murrelets
3 Rhinoceros Auklets
1 Western Meadowlark

On our way home we made a few stops beginning at Mystery Bay S.P. and at the Oak Bay County Park,which hosted the following highlights:

2 Red-throated Loons
3 Pacific Loons
7 Common Loons
6 Eared Grebes(5 at Mystery Bay S.P.,1 at Oak Bay C.P.)
250+ "Black"Brant
80+ Northern Pintail
28 Harlequin Ducks
1 Long-tailed Duck(Oak Bay C.P.)
17 Black Scoters
10 Barrow's Goldeneyes(Mystery Bay S.P.)
2 Black Turnstones
1 Marbled Murrelet

To end Red-breasted Mergansers seemed especially "common" today with large groups noted from several locations in groups of 8-35 birds,mainly from sheltered areas.


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Fircrest,WA
godwit at worldnet.att.net