Subject: [Tweeters] EAS Samish trip - Prairie Falcon -1 December 09
Date: Dec 3 16:04:02 2009
From: B&PBell - bellasoc at isomedia.com


Hi Tweets

Ten of us from Eastside Audubon took a trip on Tuesday, 1 December, to the Samish and Skagit Flats in Skagit County. The day started out clear and cold (34F), and as we drove up toward the Samish Flats we kept running thru fog patches. By the time we were in Burlington we had moved out of the fog into clear sunshine. It stayed that way all day.

As we drove thru Everett we saw hundreds (if not thousands) of waterfowl on the treatment settling ponds - unfortunately at 60 mph they were too distant to identify. Further along the way we saw at least 5 RED-TAILED HAWKs in non-foggy stretches of the road. Just as we turned onto Chuckanut Drive we saw a reasonably large flock of SNOW GEESE east of the road - first time I have seen that many up that way in Skagit County. Further on we turned onto ---- Road and stopped to scope several gulls, shorebirds and swans. The gulls turned out to be mostly GLAUCOUS-WINGED, with some MEW and RING-BILLED mixed in. A nice little flock of DUNLIN gave us a look. The swans were distant, but in the scopes turned out to be mostly TRUMPETER with at least one TUNDRA. A bit later we had a COOPERS HAWK make a pass, and a large group of CACKLING GEESE flew over.

Things were slow until we returned to Chuckanut Drive in Bow. At a flooded field there were MALLARDs and a few AMERICAN WIGEON. Further along in another flooded field we saw MALLARDs, NORTHERN PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER. At the old barn there were many HOUSE SPARROWs and on the new barn behind it lots of EUROPEAN STARLINGs and some BREWER'S BLACKBIRDs. Some RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDs flew away. Closer to the Bonsai Nursery we had a nice male AMERICAN KESTREL, and across from the nursery was the female. We turned into the Blanchard community and scoped the pond to the north and turned up a couple of female COMMON GOLDENEYEs. A ways further, near the end of the bridge there were 4 female COMMON MERGANSERs. As we made our way thru Blanchard we saw STELLER'S JAY, FOX SPARROW, GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCO, SPOTTED TOWHEE, BLACK-CAPPED and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEEs, MOURNING DOVE, and at least 9 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVEs. GREAT BLUE HERONS were in several of the flooded fields along the way.

We passed thru Edison, noting a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, and started to make our way over to the West 90. Along the way we found NORTHERN HARRIER, RED-TAILED HAWK (at least 12 by now), and surprisingly no Bald Eagles at the conifer stand west of the Samish River. We pulled into the West 90 and found a VARIED THRUSH in the tree next to the Porta-Potty. We scanned the fields, seeing a few more RED-TAILED HAWKs, a couple of NORTHERN HARRIERs, and at least 2 SHORT-EARED OWLs. Two immature BALD EAGLES were perched in trees, and two adults flew over. Another BALD EAGLE was perched on the old pilings. Surprisingly, there were virtually no ducks on the south end of Samish Bay, nor in the fields or out on Padilla Bay. A group from Pilchuck Audubon told us they had seen falcons on Bayview-Edison Road, so we detoured down that way. We came across a flooded field with 2 huge groups of DUNLIN packed tight (there were probably a couple of thousand in each group), and perched on a pole above them a PEREGRINE FALCON (it must have eaten recently because it showed no interest in the large dinner plates just below, and the dinner plates were sleeping and not nervous. We scanned Samish Bay from Wharf Road near the old DNR access point (all facilities have been removed from there, and the former stairway down to the water is gone (looks like it rotted away). By now the temperature had climbed to about 45F with virtually no wind - a really pleasant day. Out on the Bay we saw SURF and WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, LONG-TAILED DUCKs, BUFFLEHEAD, a couple of BARROW'S GOLDENEYEs, RED-BREASTED MERGANSERs, HORNED and RED-NECKED GREBEs, COMMON LOON, DOUBLE-CRESTED and BRANDT'S CORMORANTs, and BRANT. A RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET worked over the bushes.

After lunch we went back down to Bayview Edison Road and found a nice ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, a RED-TAILED HAWK, and the perched PEREGRINE (a couple of poles down from where it had been earlier). This time the DUNLIN were grouped on both sides of the road and were more active, feeding in the mud, but still not particularly nervous about the Peregrine. That is until the falcon left it's perch and made an unsuccessful pass. Much excitement for a minute or so. Out in the field was a second PEREGRINE. On the opposite side of the road, and a ways out there was a PRAIRIE FALCON perched on a mud lump (this was south of Sullivan Road). Eventually the Prairie took off, flew barely above the ground and then climbed and disappeared in the north. Three falcons by mid-day is quite nice.

Along D'Arcey Road we had a second pair of AMERICAN KESTRELs, and a bit later a second ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. We cruised along Farm-to-Market Road, Field Road, Thomas, and Sunset Roads, back to Farm-to-Market, Church Roads. We ended up back on D'Arcey Road. We had a few more Red-tailed Hawks, a few Trumpeter Swans, but in general it was pretty quiet.

We started working our way down toward the Padilla Bay Center, but turned on Persons Road. Part way up we had a nice immature NORTHERN SHRIKE. Padilla Bay was devoid of birds.

We eventually worked our way down thru LaConner and to Dodge Valley Road, where we had a third pair of AMERICAN KESTRELs. From there we moved on to a stop on Valentine Road at the bird feeder house (site of last years Blue Jay). Activity is picking up there and we saw DOWNY and HAIRY WOODPECKERs, BLACK-CAPPED and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEEs, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, FOX, SONG, and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWs, RUDY-CROWNED KINGLET, DARK-EYED JUNCO, PURPLE and HOUSE FINCH. A NORTHERN FLICKER perched in the lowering sun atop a tree, and was gorgeous.

We made our way down to Rawlins Road and saw a very large group of SNOW GEESE way out in one of the fields, a NORTHERN HARRIER was perched out by the Bay. Moving down to the Hayton Preserve we had a much closer, although smaller, group of SNOW GEESE.

Along the way we also saw CANADA GOOSE, RING-NECKED PHEASANT, WESTERN GREBE, AMERICAN COOT, KILLDEER, lots of AMERICAN CROWs, a bunch of COMMON RAVENs, and AMERICAN ROBIN.

We had great weather for the 1st of December, lots of nice looks at birds and good company. We wound up seeing 71 species.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville Wa
mail to bell asoc at isomedia dot com