I started the birding day looking for the RUSTY BLACKBIRD recently reported by Steve Mlodinow. It was right where Steve said it was; on Norman Road in Snohomish County. It's a very striking female in nonbreeding plumage. The cap is reddish-brown set off by a well defined supercilium. The upper back is reddish and the underparts buffy. The yellow eye bordered by black gives the bird the look of a bandit. Also on Norman Road, I saw my first TRUMPETER SWANS of the season; 6 adults and 3 juvs.

On Fir Island in Skagit County a BLUE GOOSE landed at the snow goose farm with a few SNOW GEESE.

Thought it might be time for a gyr to show, so I headed for the West 90 on the Samish FLats. What I saw there instead was a probable leucistic RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. Howard Armstrong and Keith and Jan Wiggers and I pondered over the identity of this bird. The plumage resembled a Brambling, but it was too large, and when the bird flew, the red wing patches were evident. The overall size of the bird and the bill fit for red-wing. Black head and upper breast, white tail with black tip. Orangy-brown below with dark streaking. The bird was with a large flock of blackbirds along the road barely north of the West 90.

As the light waned the blackbirds departed. A few BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS flew over and landed in the bare field right at the West 90. With them was a juv PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER.

It was a good day.

Marv Breece
Seattle, WA