Tweeters,

Even though the Samish Flats may have the highest one-day count of Eurasian
Wigeon in North America (I'm not sure that this is true), it clearly is NOT
the best place to see large numbers of this species most of the time-- at
least, not as judged by Christmas Bird Counts.

I looked at CBC results for the last 10 years, and calculated the mean
number of EUWI seen on some of the top counts in BC, WA, OR, and CA.

On top by far was Ladner, BC (which includes both Boundary Bay and the
Reifel Bird Sanctuary). This count averaged 71 EUWI, more than twice as high
as any other North American count. This should not be surprising, because
there are usually 30,000 to 50,000 American Wigeon wintering in the Fraser
Estuary, far more than around the Samish Flats (which I bird frequently).

The top CBCs for EUWI, with mean numbers, were as follows:

Ladner, BC 71.0
White Rock, BC 28.5
Peace Valley, CA 24.5
Sequim-
Dungeness, WA 20.1
Kitsap County, WA 17.4
Vancouver, BC 14.7
Bellingham, WA 14.7
Victoria, BC 12.3
Padilla Bay, WA 12.0
Seattle, WA 11.6

The Padilla Bay count includes all of the Samish Flats. That average count
of 12 EUWI looks pretty anemic compared with Ladner. The highest EUWI count
for Padilla Bay (since 1997) is 30 birds, whereas Ladner has tallied more
than 100 in at least 4 years (last winter's count not yet posted).

I have a theory on why so few EUWI are seen on the Padilla Bay CBC. This
takes place in the middle of the hunting season. On several visits in Nov.
and Dec., the only large numbers of wigeon I have seen are in huge flocks a
mile or more out in Padilla Bay or Samish Bay, where they are safe from
hunters. (They probably feed in the fields at night, as wigeon and other
dabblers do in the Fraser Delta.)

On the other hand, the high numbers of EUWI in the Fraser Delta are there
pretty much throughout the winter; I have noticed no great changes from
month to month. There are lots of places visited by birders within the
Ladner count circle which are closed to hunting, such as the Reifel
Sanctuary.

Steve may be correct that there is a major influx of wigeon (Eurasian and
American) into the Samish Flats in Feb. and March. However, it's interesting
that there is no evidence of such an influx around Vancouver. I suspect that
there are high numbers of EUWI around the Samish Flats all winter, but that
birders don't see many in early winter because of the hunting factor.

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