Tweeters,

This is a little late but it is the first chance I've had to post this. Saturday evening I was walking near the pond on Damon Point when I noticed a large falcon chasing some gulls. It was a ways out but looked very much like a juvenile GYRFALCON. Then yesterday, Sunday, October 2, I was walking out on the game range when I saw the same bird harassing some more gulls. This time the light was good and the distance short and I got a very good look at this juvenile gyrfalcon as it perched on some of the logs and stumps out here. It is a large falcon dwarfing the harriers that were occasionally harassing it. It had a medium brown back, dense brown streaking over the entire underside, a thin mustache stripe, blue-grey legs and bill. I hope others get to see this powerful visitor from he arctic. Be aware there is also a juvenile peregrine out there as well as a couple merlins. A Baird's sandpiper was with some least sandpipers along the tidal pond near the sewage plant and there were several pectoral sandpipers and five Pacific golden plovers along the Damon Point pond.

Gary Fredricks
Washougal, WA
fredricks at worldaccessnet.com