Tweeters,

Foolishly, I believed the weather forecast for today, and decided in late
morning to go birding in the Samish Flats and Samish Island area.
Cloudy with sunny periods, they said, with rain starting in the afternoon.
I arrived about 11 AM, the sunny periods never materialized, and the rain
started before noon and did not ease up till about 3 PM, shortly
before I had to leave. My overall list was fairly short, and I did not see
any
of the uncommon or rare raptors-- just BALD EAGLES, RED-TAILS,
NORTHERN HARRIERS, and one ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. I couldn't
even find a SHORT-EARED OWL at the Samish West 90.

However, I did find my target bird-- the PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER
previously reported by Marv Breece on November 5, December 24, and
December 29 in the vicinity of the Samish T junction. Today, it was with
a flock of 16 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS in a flooded field on the north side
of Sullivan Road, about a mile east of the Bay View-Edison Road (i.e., not
far from the end of Sullivan). The bird stuck out like a sore thumb
among the Black-bellies-- obviously smaller and browner, with a strong
yellowish wash on the back, the side of the head, and especially on
the nape. The yellow color was so bright that the bird practically glowed.

This was a new bird for me in Skagit County, and my first-ever winter
record of Pacific Golden-Plover in the Northwest, although I have seen
a few in winter in California. This is a very rare bird in winter in our
neck
of the woods.

Western Washington seems to be on the verge of turning into a vast swamp,
and the Samish Flats were no exception. Many of the fields were flooded,
and parts of some roads were underwater (e.g. Sam Bell Road just E of
Highway 11). I saw lots of swans, but they were in many scattered groups.
The largest group (2-3 adjacent groups, actually) were about 100
TRUMPETER SWANS and 50 TUNDRA SWANS along Pulver Road
S of Highway 11.

The only other birds of note were seen from the mini-park on Wharf Road
on Samish Island-- a pair of MARBLED MURRELETS and 3 LONG-TAILED
DUCKS among other scattered waterbirds on Samish Bay.

I hope to bird the Samish and Skagit Flats again within the next week or
two, but will try to save it for a day with better weather (if such a day is
to be
found!).

Thanks to Marv Breece for repeatedly reporting the PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER,
and for stimulating me to get off my duff and look for it.


Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net