Subject: [Tweeters] Yesterday: Point no Point to the South end of Hood Canal
Date: Jan 20 07:36:06 2007
From: bill shelmerdine - georn1 at hotmail.com


Greetings Tweeters,
As Keith Brady already pointed out, the Thick Billed Murre was again present
(at least through 1000) at Point No Point. While most folks left around
0930 or 0945 or so, when the bird had ridden the current NW to quite a
distance, a few us ended up sticking around. Shortly, the bird started
swimming back toward the point and into some calmer waters where perhaps
better views were obtained. At this point the white line at the base of the
upper mandible was clearly visible, which was very hard to see in the
initial round of sightings. This, however is not a mark that is necessary
to make the I.D. The bird is quite distinctive and is in essentially
(first?) basic plumage.

On the way home I chose a route through Jefferson and Mason Counties. Sites
included Chimicum Valley, Big Quilcene River Mouth, Dosewallips River Mouth,
Hamma Hamma River Mouth, Potlatch State Park and Skokomish Delta. I checked
quite a few gulls and was surprized at the lack of diversity. Everything
was essentially either a Glaucous Winged (or at least partly) or a Mew Gull.
The only break in the pattern was a couple of Thayers (adults) at the Dose
River mouth.

I did not find anything out of the ordinary in Jefferson County, but there
were a couple of notable birds in Mason County including: Eurasion Wigeon
and Black Brant at Hamma Hamma Delta; Eared Grebe at Potlatch; 5 Trumpeter
Swans at Hunters Farms (adjacent to the Purdy Cut-off and SR ? (the road to
Union)); and a Peregrine Falcon at the Skokomish Delta. These later two
species can be surprisingly difficult to find in Mason County and thanks to
Andrew Beelik, who had reported them earlier to me. Cheers and Good
birding...

Bill Shelmerdine
Olympia
Mailto: Georn1 at hotmail.com

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