Subject: [Tweeters] RE: Subject: Fwd: MV COHO birds, Montana trip
Date: Aug 28 18:16:20 2009
From: Scott Atkinson - scottratkinson at hotmail.com



Dennis and Tweeters:



That makes sense--note that on the birdingonthe.net site for Vancouver Island indicates a number of pelagics have been reported from the M/V Coho and off the shoreline near Witty's Lagoon and Sooke as well. Makes me wonder about the Dungeness Spit and eastward...



The family took a drive to n.e. MT to see family living in Circle (s.e. of Fort Peck Lake). This was not in any way a dedicated birding trip, but of course yours truly tried to sneak away for a couple quick looks through the binos early. Suffice it to say that I found 102 species Aug 22-26, most in n.e. MT. I've found on each visit Baird's Sparrow, Sprague's Pipit, and the 2 longspurs pretty easily, they seem to be locally common in fact.



Highlights of less-common regulars:



Ferruginous Hawk (4-5 seen between Circle and Jordan from the car 8/25)

Sharp-tailed Grouse 3 (near Circle 8/25)

Whimbrel 1 (rare in MT, entrance to Rock Creek access to Ft. Peck Lake 8/24)

Solitary Sandpipers common near Circle and Ft Peck Lake

Eur. Collared-Dove: 2 in Circle 8/24

E. Kingbird common throughout MT, still plenty in eWA, count of 15 in a group at Drummond, MT

Alder Flycatcher 1 (south of Ritchie, MT, 8/23, seemingly a bit west of regular normal migratory route)
Sprague's Pipit 5 (different locations near Ft. Peck Lake, Circle, Ritchie)

Field Sparrow 1 (south of Ritchie near western extreme edge of range 8/23)

Clay-colored Sparrow throughout Circle area, most common sparrow in mixed-species flocks

Baird's Sparrow 3 (single birds flushed along road between Circle and Ritchie, 8/23), also found one Grasshopper Sparrow in the area

McCown's and Chestnut-collared Longspurs--found a nice mixed flock of about 90 birds on edge of Circle 8/25, mostly CC Longspur



Sparrow fans will love n.e. MT at this time of year. We encountered vast numbers of Savannah, Vesper, Chipping, and Lark Sparrows, along with Lark Bunting, right along (and on) Hwy 200. In fact moving flocks were literally hard to miss: at one point I'm sad to report we hit two unknown sp as we drove toward Jordan. There were 11 sparrow species detected (not including junco or towhee). Abundant pronghorn and deer in the Circle-to-Jordan stretch also keep a driver on their toes.



Final note--we had a lingering PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER vocalizing yesterday, 8/27, at our place in n. Lake Stevens, WA.



Scott Atkinson

Lake Stevens

mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com



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