Hi all,

Sam Woods & Delia & I went up to the Skagit today Sunday and had a flock of about 25 COMMON REDPOLLS foraging in the Alder forest heading out from the boatlaunch parking lot in the Skagit Wildlife Recreation Area.

There was a White-throated Sparrow in the big flock of sparrows in the same area but we couldn?t find any Swamp or Tree Sparrow. Three Rough-legged Hawks between there and the Stillaquamish flats were nice to look at.

On a lot of birding trips you don?t see the death and dying out there, thankfully, but that wasn?t today. At the Jenson Access there was a dead adult SAW-WHET OWL that had not been eaten at all, close to the entrance. I sure had no ideas on why. South of Stanwood we were being treated to a spectacular air show by a large flock of Dunlin and about 21 Black-bellied Plovers that were staying out of the way of numerous Northern Harriers. The Dunlins were coming up and over us when one seemingly dived straight down into a drainage ditch in front of us, like a tern. Sam realized what had happened immediately?it hit a powerline. She fished the dead bird out out of the ditch, left it there.


On a Brighter note: Here is a **** recommendation to go see Paul Bannick?s photos at the Burke Museum this Thursday. I just saw a few of the shots on Saturday, and I strongly suspect nobody who goes will be disappointed.

Also I?m inviting EVERYONE to consider entering the YardBirdRace. You might not be ahead of ALAN HUGGINS who?s at 46 (species seen from the yard in 2007) on Vashon with Orange-crowned & Townsend?s already, or JOHN TUBBS with 40 in Redmond including a Northern Shrike, or you might not have as good of an asterisk on your yardlist as CHRISTIE ANDERSON?S in Bellevue--which is a Bobcat--or KATHY & MERVYN FLOYD of Freeland with 39 inc. a Great Horned Owl, but even if you?re more like half those numbers (like us) you are still probably leading your city, town or neighborhood. And besides, in deference to the fact that unlike a big-day birder or a big-year birder, YardBirdRacers can only see what comes by, everyone who ran a race last year was offered a prize, and all prizes advanced birding or bird conservation. So check out the leaderboard (which includes rules) at

http://www.ednewbold.com/yardbird.htm


and the press release at:

http://www.ednewbold.com/links.htm

and enter by emailing the Central Offices of the YBR at yardbirdrace at yahoo.com


Ed Newbold residential Beacon Hill, Seattle ednewbold1 at yahoo.com
(any 06 Racer who didn?t get a prize offer, that was an error, email me)





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