Tweeters,

I decided to take advantage of a break in the downpours today to look
for the RUSTY BLACKBIRD reported earlier by Ryan Merrill and Charlie
Wright near the Skagit WMA headquarters area on Fir Island. To make a
long story short, I found the bird about 3:00 PM, only minutes before
my self-imposed deadline for starting home. Yahoo! A new bird for my
state list, and a long-overdue one at that.

The bird had been seen at least 3 times previously this month near the
intersection of Wylie and Mann Roads, just north of the WMA entrance.
A search of this area in late morning produced nothing except a flock
of 50 STARLINGS and one (1) RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD-- no BREWER'S-- along
Mann Road about 1/2 mile east of Wylie. The main blackbird flock was
obviously somewhere else.

Heading west out Fir Island Road from Wylie Road, I found a flock of
300 to 400 Starlings and blackbirds, including many Brewer's, along
the road at "Cowtown", about a mile west of Wylie. (This is the
location where 2 CATTLE EGRETS were present for several weeks in Nov.
and Dec., but no sign of them now-- I presume they perished in the
cold spell.) However, I couldn't pick a Rusty out of this flock, so I
broke off to spend some time looking (unsuccessfully) for the BEWICK'S
SWAN along roads north of Fir Island Road.

A little before 3 PM, I revisited Cowtown, and this time got a quick
glimpse of a bird that looked like a Rusty. As parking and stopping
are prohibited along this section of Fir Island Road (very narrow
shoulders), I parked my car near an abandoned barn a short distance
east of Cowtown. The birds were actively feeding in the fields near
the road, periodically flying up and landing in a different location,
as Starlings and blackbirds often do. After one of these upflights,
when the birds landed, the RUSTY BLACKBIRD was one of the closest
birds. The pale yellow eye, rusty-brown crown, nape, and back, and
buffy-brown throat and superciliary stripe. were
seen at close range. Eureka!

So if anyone else is looking for the Rusty and doesn't find it along
Wylie or Mann Roads, check out the vicinity of Cowtown (and mind the
parking/ stopping restrictions). I believe this locality is less than
2 miles from the intersection of Wylie and Mann, so I'm pretty sure
it's the same bird.

Also of interest while I was looking over the Starling flock on Mann
Road-- a BARN SWALLOW was circling over the fields north of the road!
I'm willing to bet money that no Barn Swallows survived the recent
deep freeze, so this one must have been a recent arrival, helped on
its way, no doubt, by the current Pineapple Express phenomenon. I've
stated before my belief that most of the late January and February
records of Barn Swallow in the Pacific Northwest are a result of
active northward movement by the birds (premature migration?), helped
along by strong southerly winds. (The wind was from the south at 20 to
35 mph during my visit.) December Barn Swallows may be late fall
lingerers, but I'm sure most of the late Jan. and Feb. sightings we
get are the result of active northward movement.

Also of interest on Fir Island:

Snow Geese-- at least 10,000 feeding in fields, mainly between Fir
Island Road and Polson Road

Trumpeter Swan-- Total of at least 130, widely scattered.

I didn't attempt to bird the Skagit WRA itself-- the noise from the
wind would have made it futile!

Good luck and good birding,

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net