Hi Tweets,

Barbara and I led a Seattle Audubon field trip to Whidbey Island on Wednesday, November 14. The forecast for deteriorating weather led us to begin at the island's north end, heading for the more sheltered middle part of the island as the day progressed. We had able help from two experienced participants that resulted in a trip list of 76 species. Highlights were excellent scope views of up to ten Long-tailed Ducks, and close-up views of Harlequin Ducks, Red-throated Loons, and Red-breasted Mergansers along the island's west side. We expected -- but missed -- Barrow's Goldeneye, Black Scoter, and Black Oystercatcher.

We began with brief stops at Swinomish Slough (almost as many hunters' decoys as genuine ducks) and Pass Lake. The Rosario Beach unit of Deception Pass State Park with its combination of habitats gave us 32 species. On Whidbey Island we visited Dugualla Bay, Joseph Whidbey State Park, Bos Lake, Libbey Beach County Park, Penn Cove, Keystone and Crockett Lake, and finally took a walk out to Deer Lagoon. We had only a couple of sprinkles before arriving back in Seattle about 5:30 p.m.

Species seen:

Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Horned Grebe
Western Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Trumpeter Swan
Canada Goose
American Wigeon
Gadwall
Green-winged Teal
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Canvasback (30+ at Dugualla Bay)
Greater Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Long-tailed Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Common Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser (c. 40 total birds at Pass Lake and Crockett Lake)
Red-breasted Merganser (42 diving in the ferry slip at Keystone)
Ruddy Duck
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk (1 at Rosario Beach, 1 at Keystone)
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Black-bellied Plover (30+ at Jos. Whidbey SP and Deer Lagoon)
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs (10 at Penn Cove and Deer Lagoon)
Black Turnstone
Surfbird
Sanderling (20+ at Deer Lagoon)
Dunlin
Heermann's Gull (1 on Keystone Jetty)
Mew Gull
Ring-billed Gull (2 at Deer Lagoon)
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
American Herring Gull (1 on Keystone Jetty)
Bonaparte's Gull (2 at Keystone)
Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Marbled Murrelet
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove (6 in Admirals subdivision near Crockett Lake)
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
American Robin
Bushtit
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
American Crow
Common Raven
European Starling
House Finch
Spotted Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Brewer's Blackbird

Paul Webster
Seattle
paul.websterATcomcast.net