Tweeters:

Anne Winskie, Jessica Coyle and I surveyed the avifauna of Graysmarsh
yesterday, May 6. Despite fairly poor weather, especially afternoon
drizzle, we set a new single-day record high for this private property near
Sequim, with 122 species found. This broke the old mark of 119 set back on
May 9, 1998. Despite numerous misses and relatively quiet conditions
prevailing in the forest, the presence of water in the marsh brought in the
shorebirds, and offshore scoping was productive at times.

There were also a few birds of note from the sites just to the west May 5,
Saturday:

Whimbrel 3, LONG-BILLED CURLEW 1 from Oyster House
Short-billed Dowitcher 18 Helen's Pond
COM. GRACKLE 1 (though missing for a week, had nice view of the bird perched
atop weeping willow at residence across street from the east end of Helen's
Pond at approx. 4:45 pm)

May 6: GRAYSMARSH

(NOTABLE MISSES: Pac, RT Loons; C. Goldeneye, Harlequin, Gr. Scaup,
VIRGINIA RAIL (!), Com Murre; Pileated, Hammond's Fly, WW Pewee, Varied
Thrush, Hutton's and Cassin's Vireos).

Trumpeter Swan 1 (injured bird, inner marsh)
Gr. White-fronted Goose 5
Blue-winged Teal 3 (evidently arrived back on April 27, fide Jessica Coyle)
Wood Duck 4
Ring-necked Duck 4 (on bay off public beach access--seldom encountered on
salt water)
Black Scoter 3 (off beach)
Red-breasted Merganser 245 (peak passage)

11 shorebird species, 9 of them in marsh, including:

Semipalmated Plover 1
RUDDY TURNSTONE 1 beach at low tide afternoon--only 2nd for Grays
Short-billed Dowitcher 1
Long-billed Dowitcher 1
Gr. Yellowlegs 4
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER 1 (high breeding, in flock of Least & Westerns,
central marsh, relocated in evening)

Vaux's Swift 7
Olive-sided Flycatcher 2 (first of season)
House Wren 2
Am. Pipit 62
W. BLUEBIRD 1 (near Holland Rd; heard only but several times from coniferous
forest edge; first for Graysmarsh; notably very close to old bluebird box
discovered recently)
Swainson's Thrush 2 (first of season)
Hermit Thrush 4
Warbling Vireo 3 (first of season)
the 8 usual warbler sp. including MacGillivray's 1, Yellow 5, Wilson's 14,
Orange-cr. 46
Black-headed Grosbeak 3 (first of season)
W. Tanager 3 (first of season)
CHIPPING SPARROW 1 (Anne Winskie: near barn/small ornamental conifer grove,
s. Grays, 3rd in last 10 yrs)
Fox Sparrow 2
Lincoln's Sparrow 1

Also of interest, a water shrew, sp. at slough of inner marsh.

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com

_________________________________________________________________
Download Messenger. Join the i'm Initiative. Help make a difference today.
http://im.live.com/messenger/im/home/?source=TAGHM_APR07