Subject: [Tweeters] Skagit new arrivals
Date: Apr 12 20:05:07 2009
From: Gary Bletsch - garybletsch at yahoo.com



Dear Tweeters and Skagit Birders,

Although rainy, today was a good day for newly arriving migrants in Skagit County.

At several locations, swallow concentrations could be observed. These spots included Hamilton, Lyman, Mud Lake, Beaver Lake, Clear Lake, DeBay's Slough, and Green Road Pond. There were 100's of Tree Swallows, slightly fewer Violet-green Swallows, as well as a scattering of NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED, BARN, AND CLIFF SWALLOWS.

Also at Lyman was an OSPREY heading upriver, associating with two Bald Eagles.

At the Burmaster Road Pond (off Minkler Road east of Sedro-Woolley) was a drake CINNAMON TEAL.

On Gardner Road was a flock of 19 swans. Most of them were Tundra Swans. The adults that were close enough to study certainly were. Some of the drab-looking immatures eluded my ID skills, but I suspected that some of them were Tundras. That would contradict a statement in Sibley about Tundras all being white after the month of March. With this flock was a lone GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE.

Just northwest of the swan-goose flock was a flock of hundreds of gulls. This was south of Cook Road and east of I-5. Although I could not view the flock conveniently, I was able to identify dozens of California Gulls and a few Mew Gulls, among the Glaucous-winged Gulls.

At the Green Road Pond I heard a VIRGINIA RAIL. Right near the edge of the road was an odd threesome of drakes: an American Wigeon, a CINNAMON TEAL, and a BLUE-WINGED TEAL.

At my house near Cockreham Island was a Peregrine Falcon. At dusk, a lone male AMERICAN GOLDFINCH showed up, my ninth county year bird of the day!

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch ? Near Lyman, Washington (Skagit County), USA ? garybletsch at yahoo.com ? ?