Subject: [Tweeters] questions from a visiting birder (Western Washington)
Date: Oct 12 15:08:01 2005
From: Scott Baron - brnpelican at yahoo.com


Hello, birders.

I will be visiting my sister in Seattle for a week, arriving in a couple of days. I look forward to my first visit to the Pac. NW. I've purchased the new ABA guide to Wash.0, reviewed Bird Web (what a great site for Washington bird info) and I'm starting to pack up.

I'm sure that there are lots of public places that are good for birding which the ABA guide can't list for reasons of space. I thought that I'd ask Tweeters if they have some favorite areas to find certain species. I have lots of target birds that I want to see. Some of these I've listed below. In Western Washington, esp. the Seattle area, where is a good spot(s) to find any of the following species?

- Trumpeter Swan
- Barrow's Goldeneye
- Blue Grouse
- gulls - How does one ID Glaucous-winged and Western Gulls if they hybridize frequently in Washington? Is this possible? Are they all "Olympic Gulls" unless one finds a bird that seems to show the size, shape and plumage characteristics of one species or the other?
- alcids! Love 'em. What's your favorite spot for this group in mid-Oct.?
- Would anyone be interested in doing any owling with me? I'd enjoy looking for them with other birders. Specifically Western Screech and No. Pygmy. I probably won't even try for the rare Spotted on this trip. Any public sights where I can be at/near dark to look/listen for these?
- American vs. NW Crow - how does one tell the difference along the coast? I've read that a group of crows on the beach in the non-breeding season is probably a NW, and that a few areas, like the San Juans, seem to have crows with no American genes in them. Comments?
- American Dipper
- Varied Thrush
- Townsend's Warbler

Also, what is the weather like in the Cascades at this time of year? How cold is it and is there any snow yet? I want to make sure that I'm taking the right clothing.

I hear that the drivers in Washington are nice, the scenery is beautiful and the coffee is plentiful. Except for maybe the coffee, it all sounds like a great place to be (I'm more of a juice guy)! I plan on birding for at least a few hours each day of my visit, from Seattle to the Cascades to the Olympic Peninsula. I want to bird with others in the Seattle area, if possible, and I'm glad that I've found some interesting field trips on the web with local clubs. I may try to attend some of these trips. Hope that I run into some of you next week.

Thanks very much in advance for any help that you can give me. I will post any highlights to this listserv after I return from my trip.

Scott Baron
Fairfax, Va.
brnpelican AT yahoo.com





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