Subject: [Tweeters] Point No Point birding and beyond 5-6-06
Date: May 6 19:07:06 2006
From: Ruth and/or Patrick Sullivan - godwit513 at msn.com


Hello Tweets,

Today we birded the Point No Point area in northeastern Kitsap Co. specifically to follow-up on Brad Waggoner's sightings from yesterday morning and although we didn't encountered the diversity and exact species as Brad did yesterday we had a nice assortment of species. The weather remained calm(with NO wind)and cloudy during our entire stay,which made birding nice! We arrived at the Point No Point Lighthouse at 7am,but conditions were very slow and remained slow until about 9am,when some passerine movements were noted along the brushy trail just east of the lighthouse. The most abundant passerine were Orange-crowned Warblers that greatly surprisingly outnumbered Yellow-rumped Warblers and were noted in most of he brushy areas,as well in most riparian areas. We also walked to the bluff area accessed from the east end of the same trail that extends along the beach shoreline east of the lighthouse. We observed only small numbers of migrants passing over in flight between 7am-10am with more activity actually noted in brushy areas,as well as areas hosting some trees. Also a side note and as a sign of the opening day of boating season a large numbers of sailboats and other boats were noted off Point No Point! A list of the most notable species observed at Point No Point from various locations included the following:

17 Pacific Loons
80 "Black"Brant
1 pair of Wood Ducks
1 NORTHERN HARRIER
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 Merlin
2 Ring-necked Pheasants
1 Spotted Sandpiper
70 Sanderlings
1 Bonaparte's Gull
2 Marbled Murrelets
30 Rhinoceros Auklets
85+ Band-tailed Pigeons
2 Mourning Doves
3 Vaux's Swifts
1 WESTERN WOOD PEWEE
1 HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER
6 Northern Rough-winged Swallows
4 Bushtits
1 Brown Creeper
1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
1 SWAINSON'S THRUSH
1 Am.Pipit
1 Hutton's Vireo
3 Warbling Vireos
85+ Orange-crowned Warblers
4 Yellow Warblers
15 Yellow-rumped Warblers
1 Black-throated Gray Warbler
2 Common Yellowthroats
25 Wilson's Warblers
7 Western Tanagers
1 Lincoln's Sparrow
10 Golden-crowned Sparrows
1 male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD(presumably the same individual reported yesterday by Brad Waggoner,where today the bird was viewed alone from the main road foraging on spilt seed on the ground,then again near the lighthouse with Red-winged Blackbirds). The bird was also quite vocal!
1 Purple Finch


After birding the Point No Point/Hansville area we headed over to the Foulweather Bluff area(accessed from the end of Twin Spits Rd.),where we encountered some additional passerine movement along with a few other birds including the following:

1 Red-necked Grebe
1 Bufflehead
1 Turkey Vultures
2 Ospreys
2 NORTHERN HARRIERS
1 Warbling Vireo
10 Orange-crowned Warblers
15 Wilson's Warblers
7 Western Tanagers
13 Golden-crowned Sparrows
3 Purple Finches

Our last major stop of the day was made at he town of Port Gamble,where we encountered large movements of Western Tanagers in active migration containing about 70 percent males and 30 percent females. We observed 2 separate flocks near the cemetery at the north end of town that both few in from the south then dropped into dense trees lining a bluff area that overlooks Port Gamble. Both flocks remained very jumpy and nervous,as they continued along the bluff then both flocks flying off 10 minutes apart in the same direction to the north towards Foulweather Bluff. This was he largest flock of Western Tanagers we have encountered at one time with a total of 113 birds and both flocks contained no other species and thus were pure flocks! An exciting sight!

Other species of note observed at Port Gamble including the following:

10 Pacific Loons
5 Red-necked Grebes
8 Western Grebes
1 Common Goldeneye(amongst a flock of both Surf and White-winged Scoters)
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
6 Marbled Murrelets
1 Anna's Hummingbird


On our way home we made a short stop and visit to the Valley Nursery(north of Poulsbo),where a single Red-breasted Sapsucker foraged from sap wells in the riparian area along Dog Creek. In addition a single Yellow Warbler and 2 Evening Grosbeaks were also noted at this location.



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Fircrest,WA
godwit513 at msn.com