Hi Tweets

I went up to Semiahmoo Spit today in search of the KING EIDER. Birds should not be this easy. I arrived about 9:30, put gear on and walked out toward the edge of the Semiahmoo Marina (parking in the gravel space at the end of the county park). On scanning the water inside the marina I discovered the bird near the southwest dock on the inside. It was about 3/4 of the way out to the end (at least 100+ yards) and was a distant but workable scope view. Observed it from about 9:40 AM to about 9:48. It worked the edge of the dock, feeding all the way out to the end and then over to the south dock along the inside edge. When last seen it was swimming toward the end of the southwest dock to go around the end.

There had been another birder over on the Marina parking lot so I walked over to let him know that the bird was around. He had driven overnight from Salt Lake City and hadn't seen the bird yet. I told he and another birder where I had seen the bird and where the best location to view from was. I then walked back to my car to get my notebook, made some notes on the bird and rejoined the other birders.

The KING EIDER was then (about 10:20 AM) on the outside of the southwest dock, and only about 50 yards away. Much better looks - dark brown bird (apparently a bit larger than a Mallard) with structurally and eider head, with a yellow bill (darker toward the end) and whitish ring around the eye. Dark throated speckled with white, white breast (that visible above the waterline), white on the mantle and on uppertail coverts.

The whole time the birding was working in toward the edge of the dock and at least partially diving. Patience was required to get decent views at a distance of the head and bill. When seen later, the behavior was similar with the bird in particular working the joints between sections of the dock, but because it was closer much more detail could be seen.

Nice bird, and waaaaay more satisfying than the one off Whidbey Island a few years ago.

Stopped at the Game Range on Fir Island on the way home - it had started to rain. Ran into Gary Bletsch and we worked over the sparrow flocks while also keeping an eye out for the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH. No thrush, but a huge number of DARK-EYED JUNCOs (ran into the three figures) and a good size group of WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWs. Gary said he didn't remember seeing that big a group at the range this time of year. Nice numbers of GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWs also. Mixed in was one tan-stripe WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. The birds kept flushing and then coming back to old corn field just south of the boat launch parking lot, and the White-throated obligingly kept returning to the same spot. Also had a LINCOLN'S SPARROW in the area.

It was really raining hard and steadily by the time I reached the fields south of Snohomish. Just as I pulled into the first wide area south of Marsh Road along SR9 the large group of swans out in the field all lifted off and flew to the west. I was too distant to have flushed them, then I noticed the farmer coming north on his tractor right toward where the swans had been, and a helicopter flying overhead. The brief look didn't seem to show the WHOOPER SWAN, but I really didn't have a chance to examine them closely. A bit further south was a much smaller group of swans, but no Whooper there either.

In spite of the rain it was a goooood day!!!

Brian H. Bell
Birding & Natural History Guide
Woodinville Wa
bellasoc at isomedia dot com