Subject: [Tweeters] Samish Flats Yellow-headed Bl
Date: Oct 31 07:18:03 2005
From: Gary Bletsch - garybletsch at yahoo.com


Dear Tweeters,

On October 30, there was a male Yellow-headed
Blackbird in a flock of about 500 Red-winged
Blackbirds, near Edison (Skagit County). This was in
the field on the northwest corner of the T-junction,
just south of the liquor store/post office.

Another nice blackbird was a partial albino male
Red-winged Blackbird, in a flock with three
normal-looking kin, at the corner of Field and
Farm-to-market. This bird was very beautiful; at first
I thought it might have been a Rosy Starling or some
odd mynah. It had a pinkish-orangy underside with
black flank streaks, and pale pinkish-orange wing
markings.

Another albinistic bird seen over the weekend was a
Fox Sparrow at Judy Reservoir (above Clear Lake in
Skagit County) on Saturday. This bird was in the
blackberry patch near the top of the hill along the
access road, a spot that always has lots of Fox
Sparrows. The albinistic bird had a white collar and
also some white marks on the back.

Also at Judy were six Tundra Swans. These birds were
first seen flying east over the DeBay's Slough in the
evening. At dusk they were floating about on the
reservoir, a known swan night spot. Other than the
swans, there were very few other waterfowl up there,
just a few Common Mergansers, Mallards, and
Buffleheads--the big winter flock has not arrived
there.

Finally, over on Clear Lake was a single male
Canvasback. They aren't too common in that area any
more.






Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch

near Lyman (Skagit County), Washington

garybletsch at yahoo.com





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