Yesterday (day after Thanksgiving) Ray was working and I had errands to run,
but instead of shopping I went birding and it was a very good day! We have
had cold stagnant air over the Pacific NorthWest for the last week to ten
days. It all blew out last night and the rain simple poured down with the
fresh warm air. It felt so clean. The first Varied Thrush of the year came
to my Robe Valley feeder. Also in attendance were Stellar Jays, Dark Eyed
Juncos and a Northern Flicker.



In Everett (the closest big town to my mountain valley) at the 10th street
boat launch, I saw a beautiful Bald Eagle land on a raft of logs. The bay
was filled with Buffleheads. The Glaucous-winged Gulls were all over the
parking lot where they apparently wondered why they should bother swimming
when it was so wet on the warm pavement. Besides the usual cormorants there
was three Western Grebe's fishing the edge of the launch. It was so wet that
the Harbor Seals only put their head up out of the water just far enough to
have their nose pointing straight up so that just a little bump of a nose
was exposed to the rain before slipping under the water with hardly a ripple




I drove across the flats to Langus Park on the river where it didn't seem
like there were any birds until a good size flock of largish songbirds came
across the river and lit on a pair of bare trees right in front of my car
(it was still seriously raining). I could not get a really good look at them
because the low light was behind them, but I am certain that they were Cedar
Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum)!



I got myself some Chinese deli to go and went to Lake Stevens to eat it (I
wasn't done looking yet). While driving the edge of the lake I got a little
rush when I saw the head of a large bird with a pointy black beak swimming
along the shore. (keep your eyes on the road girl) At the pull off by the
lake I was happy to see so many mallards. The river I had just left was full
of small boats and guys in camo toting guns and water dogs. There were also
many coots and buffleheads on the lake too. The gulls here were mimicking
their salt water brethren, sitting on the dock instead of bobbing in the
lake. When I glassed across the cove I could easily see Red-Breasted
Mergansers trying to look graceful in spite of their permanent bad hair day
and a huge (they are always huge but their size never fails to impress me)
Great Blue Heron on a piling. Then, up popped that head... could it be? Yep.
. an elusive (not so) Common Loon. Wish I was there at night to hear him
giggle.



Deb of Ray and Deb fame.

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