Dear Tweeters and Skagit Birders,

Bob Kuntz found a Black-crowned Night Heron at the Fir Island Game Range on Saturday. I saw one or possibly two of them there yesterday (4-19-09).

The spot to look is along the slough before the River's End trail. Take the dike trail from headquarters parking area, and start looking off to the right, in the last few hundred yards before the trail forks left to go to the boat launch. If the birds aren't seen, you can go forward, then right, to the benches near the sluicegates. The birds are sometimes seen in the trees near the slough here.

Bob saw a Green Heron there on Saturday, too. On Sunday, Bob and I saw a number of interesting birds there, including a flock of 110 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE flying over, a pair of CINNAMON TEAL, a COMMON TEAL, an OSPREY, a LESSER YELLOWLEGS, a couple of CASPIAN TERNS, and more. Passerines included a Hermit Thrush, lots of Audubon's and Myrtle Warblers, a few Orange-crowned, and a couple of Lincoln's Sparrows.

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch

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