Hi Tweets,

Seattle Audubon staff had our annual Birdathon yesterday. We spent nearly the entire day on Whidbey Island. Because of our lack of experience in the area, we brought in Steve Dang (AKA "the Ringer"). A group of us camped at South Whidbey State Park while another smaller group met us at the Clinton ferry in the morning and we continued north eventually ending up at Deception Pass State Park around 3pm.

We had a total of 101 species on Whidbey. Our biggest surprise for today was a pair of TRUMPETER SWANS at Deer Lagoon (seen on the far edge of the wetlands accessible off of Deer Lagoon Rd.). Other highlights included a singing HOUSE WREN on the other side of Deer Lagoon (singing near a barn in the grassy area on the east side of the dyke accessible from Sunlight Beach Rd.). One SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, one BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER and several WHIMBREL were also visible from the dyke. The shorebirds continued at Crockett Lake with WESTERN SANDPIPER (the majority), LEAST SANDPIPER (at least one), DUNLIN, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (one) and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER. A PEREGRINE FALCON scattered them all before we could really sort through the peeps. But a SPOTTED SANDPIPER at the ferry dock was a nice consolation. Wintering waterfowl also treated us well. With trips to Rosario Beach, Sharpe Park and Union Bay Natural Area, my personal list grew to 112 before I called it a day.

Now for a full report, listed by location and in order of seen/heard (no list is comprehensive, it just adds which new species were added). These are how my notes are written up now: taxonomic name to follow.

South Whidbey State Park 4:45am (an impressive dawn chorus in the mist-shrouded forest)
American Robin
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Pacific-Slope Flycatcher
Dark-eye Junco
Spotted Towhee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Orange-crowned Warbler
Varied Thrush
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Brown Creeper
Song Sparrow
Wilson's Warbler
American Crow
Mourning Dove
Hermit Thrush
Pine Siskin
Western Tanager
Red Crossbills

On the road:
European Starling
White-crowned Sparrow
Steller's Jay
Common Raven

Clinton Ferry 7:00am
Barrow's Goldeneye
Pigeon Guillemot
Surf Scoter
Belted Kingfisher
Glaucous-winged Gull
House Finch
House Sparrow
Rock Pigeon
Violet-green Swallow
Double-crested Cormorant
Bald Eagle
Common Goldeneye
Common Loon
Great Blue Heron

Island Greens Golf Course 7:30am
Barn Swallow
Brewer's Blackbird

road side stop in a riparian area
Warbling Vireo
Red-tailed Hawk
American Goldfinch
Bewick's Wren
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-headed Grosbeak
Tree Swallow
Downy Woodpecker
Canada Goose

Maxwelton 8:05am
Caspian Tern
Bonaparte's Gull (one in breeding plumage)
Gadwall
Rufous Hummingbird
Mallard
Marsh Wren
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Yellowthroat
Cliff Swallow

Bayview Rd. 8:45am
Band-tailed Pigeon
Yellow-rumped Warbler

Deer Lagoon (from Sunlight Beach Rd.) 9:00am
Killdeer
Whimbrel
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Lesser Scaup
Short-billed Dowitcher
Northern Harrier
Lincoln Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Hooded Merganser
Black-bellied Plover
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bushtit (with nest!)
Virginia Rail
Northern Flicker
Bufflehead
California Quail
House Wren
Vaux's Swift

Deer Lagoon (from Deer Lagoon Rd.) 10:15am
Northern Pintail
Yellow Warbler
Ring-necked Duck
Trumpeter Swan
Ruddy Duck
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-breasted Nuthatch

inland lake (sorry, can't remember name) 11:35am
Osprey

Freeland Marina 11:45am
Red-necked Grebe

Admiralty Bay 12:35pm
Harlequin Duck
Rhinoceros Auklets (in breeding plumage)
Red-breasted Merganser

Crockett Lake
Western Sandpiper
Dunlin
Long-billed Dowitcher
Least Sandpiper
Semipalmated Plover
Peregrine Falcon

Port Townsend Ferry
Pelagic Cormorants
Spotted Sandpiper
American Wigeon

Penn Cove 2:00pm
White-winged Scoter

Deception Pass State Park 2:55pm
Western Grebe

Rosario Beach 3:45pm
Black Oystercatcher

Sharpe Park 4:30pm
Turkey Vulture
Wood Duck
Hutton's Vireo

Union Bay Natural Area 7:10pm
American Coot
Cinnamon Teal
Common Merganser
Pied-billed Grebe
Wilson's Snipe
Anna's Hummingbird
Coopers' Hawk