Birders,

On Friday, January 12, I had some great birding at the Skagit
Wildlife Area (headquarters area), just SW of Conway in Skagit
County. I was unable to post about it immediately afterward because
of problems that kept my E-mail down for 4 days, but "better late
than never".

In the alders right next to the boat launch parking area, 8 COMMON
REDPOLLS were feeding in the alders. I had nice looks at these birds
through my scope. My second sighting of redpolls this year,
and I have yet to see a PINE SISKIN (!!).

About half a mile down the west dyke, I had good looks at a flock of 15
PINE GROSBEAKS in the tops of some low trees near the trail. At least
3 of these were adult males. The grosbeaks seem to have settled in for
the winter here; I saw 10 of them on my previous visit on January 7.

>From the Skagit Bay dyke which leads west from the south end of the
west dyke, I observed a flock of at least 30 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS feeding in
a cornfield to the north. This is a large flock of this species,
which has become scarcer as a wintering bird in the area over the
last 30 years or so.

I returned to my car via the Wiley Slough (east) dyke, and tallied two
species of owls in the process. A BARN OWL surprised me by perching
out in the open in a small tree over the marsh near the start of the trail,
and a pair of GREAT HORNED OWLS was heard repeatedly hooting about halfway
back to the parking area.

I tallied a total of 41 species on the Wildlife Area between 2 and 5 PM,
not bad for a sunny but cold (temperature near the freezing point)
afternoon in January.

It was shortly after sunset when I left the Wildlife Area, and I hurried
over
to a quiet section of Maupin Road, near the Jensen Access, in hopes
of seeing the McNaught Comet. Luck was with me-- there were only
a few wispy cirrus clouds above the western horizon, and I had great looks
at this astronomical curiosity for about 15 minutes, through both my
binoculars and scope, before it disappeared in the reddening western sky.

A great afternoon of birding in Skagit County!

Good luck and good birding,

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