I took a visiting New Yorker out birding on the Skagit and Samish Flats
yesterday. At high tide, the flooded fields along Sullivan Rd were
filled with DUNLIN. We stopped to watch a flock as it flew up from a
field, and, as the flock flew low over us, I suddenly saw one Dunlin
fluttering helplessly on the road behind us. I ran out to pick it up,
and realized the only thing that could have happened to it was that it
had hit the power line. As I held it, it perked up and seemed alert and
not obviously injured. I released my grip, it sat on my palm for about
a minute, and then flew off to join the rest of the birds in the field.
It must have been stunned, like a bird flying into a window. I saw this
happen once before with a group of sand-grouse being pursued by a falcon
(but that bird died), and I have heard of it happening with cranes.
Does anyone know how common bird-wire strikes are?

We didn't see anything of astonishing rarity on our travels, but we had
a good day. On Fir Island, we watched as thousands and thousands of
SNOW GEESE landed in a field near Hayton Preserve. With them were about
8 CACKLING GEESE and one BLUE GOOSE. We talked to someone there who had
just seen a NORTHERN SHRIKE, but it had flown before we got there.
Three swan sp. flew by in the distance, but we didn't find any on the
ground. From Bayview State Park, we saw one female BLACK SCOTER. On
the Samish Flats, on Sullivan Rd, we watched a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
hunting, and from the little park overlooking the bay on Samish Island,
we saw three LONG-TAILED DUCKS. I guess summer is really over....

Rachel Lawson
Seattle
RachelLawson at softhome.net