Tweeters:

Fall migration got exciting here this morn with the discovery of a imm. female TENNESSEE WARBLER here at Tiny's Land in n. Lake Stevens early this morn. I was enjoying a pretty decent flight of warblers (16 individuals of 5 other species, plus Warbling Vireo, W. Tanagers) when the bird popped into view, providing a nice study over 10 minutes or so, during which time it darted in and out of view. Like other Tennessees seen previously, this was a nervous and quick-foraging bird, a short-tailed Vermivora with the short but finely sharp-pointed bill, moss-green back, two faint wingbars and a light yellowish auricular, and a very bright yellow breast, flanks and throat without greenish striations. This bird had a very pale yellow wash on the undertail coverts; that said, the bird twice turned nicely rear-first to reveal a moderate-sized pure white center of the belly. Amazingly, this is the second bird to show at the place, the first being a late May bird.

I also counted about 25 SWAINSON'S THRUSH this a.m. between 5 and 6 a.m.

On Sunday, 8/31, I was up on Fir Island, where, among others, there were 11 shorebird species, with two more added up at Swinomish Slough. There was nothing unusual really, but on a ploughed field near the corner of Wylie and Mann near the closed Skagit WMA headquarters I did turn up 3 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and one AM. GOLDEN PLOVER (ad) among about 40 KILLDEER. At the Snow Goose Preserve, there were about 800 CANADA GEESE and two WHIMBREL far out of the flats, and at the slough singles of WOOD DUCK and RED-NECKED PHALAROPE were present.

Jensen had little, but a far-off perched raptor down the dike had the right size, posture and general jizz for Red-shouldered Hawk, but was just a bit too far off and colors were hard to make out in the heat waves. Still, if you are in the area, keep an eye out--there were six reports (probably all of the same bird) between Jensen and the Wylie Rd headquarters between late Sept 2001 and early 2003, although I don't know of any since.

I tried in vain for the Cattle Egret up along Channel Drive/Swinomish Channel, and missed the Clark's Grebe up there as well, but the marshy area near the road's end produced the first GR. WHITE-FRONTED GEESE (6) of the season. Gary--I show the Clark's Grebe being the 8th Clark's Grebe for Skagit Co with birds from 1991 (the Wiggers as you mention) through a Sept 2004 bird at Jensen.

Fall migration is here--it's a great time to be out and about!

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

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