Birders,

This afternoon, I paid a brief visit to the Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine
(within city limits, although it's on the west side of Drayton Harbor)
to check on the status of the KING EIDER, and also to see if I
could find the SNOWY OWL that has been there since Nov., or
any other birds of interest.

I was present from about 3:15 to 5:00 PM, and for once the
weather was good: sunny, temperature about 47 degrees F,
and a light NW wind (about 5 to 10 mph).

It took half an hour before I spotted it, but the KING EIDER finally
showed up inside the marina, near the floating concrete
breakwater at the west end where it usually hangs out. The orange base
of the bill, large white patch on the breast, and white patches in the
wings are conspicuous on this bird, as is its larger size compared to
the nearby scoters and Barrow's Goldeneyes. I don't know where it
was during the first 30 minutes-- presumably asleep or resting in
some spot where it was not visible. If you go to look for this bird and
don't see it right away, be patient-- it will show eventually.

Also inside the marina for a few minutes was a YELLOW-BILLED LOON.
It stuck out among the COMMON LOONS by its pale brownish
(not dark gray) crown and nape, and ivory-colored bill. I would judge this
bird to be an immature, as opposed to the adult reported on Jan. 2 by
Charlie Wright, because the bill was ivory-colored with no obvious yellow,
and it looked a bit shorter than an adult's bill. (I understand that the
bill of an imm. may still be growing at this stage.) If not in the marina,
this bird could be hard to pick out among the many COMMON LOONS
out in Drayton Harbor.

I also was finally able to locate the SNOWY OWL, which I have missed
on my last 3 visits to Blaine and Semiahmoo. It was sitting on top of
a building on the Blaine side of the harbor entrance, surveying its
surroundings. Didn't spot it until nearly 5 PM, in the last rays of the
setting sun.

Also of interest at Semiahmoo Spit (on which the resort is located):

Eared Grebe 3
Brant 250 (on gravel bars along the bay side of the spit-- very low
tide)
Barrow's Goldeneye 30
Long-tailed Duck 8
Harlequin Duck 14
Black Turnstone 51 on gravel just west of marina breakwater
Western Gull 1 adult

That's it for today, and good luck to all.

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