Dear Tweeters,

Today, seven of us had an enjoyable day on a Skagit Audubon Field trip to Butler Flats, the Alger area, and Samish Flats.

Near Alger was a MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE.

At Pomona Grange Park was an AMERICAN DIPPER, or maybe two of them.

Along Allen West Road (Samish Flats), in a freshly manured field, was a big flock of gulls. Besides Glaucous-winged Gulls and hybrid GWGU X WEGU, there were some Mew and Ring-billed Gulls. One or two of the gulls were trying very hard to pass as Westerns, but we did not stamp their passports. Also in the flock was a nice immature GLAUCOUS GULL. We studied an adult THAYER'S GULL there, too.

There were scads of raptor-counters on Samish Flats. Several parties reported seeing not one but two PRAIRIE FALCONS (simultaneously), as well as a GYRFALCON. Our party saw only one Peregrine and one Merlin. I don't know where the Praries were, but the Gyr was said to have been near Edison School. Several birders had at least a 4-falcon day, but people I talked to had not reported any American Kestrels.

Lots of Rough-legged Hawks were in evidence. A HARLAN'S HAWK tussled with a Northern Harrier near Sullivan Road.

Remarkably, there was also a MUTE SWAN, visible with Trumpeters, in the field near Edison School, visible from the baseball diamond.

Another Edison Euro-trash species, the Eurasian Collared Dove, numbered at least ten individuals.

I ended the day by hiking up into Harry Osborne State Forest, north of Hamilton, where I got very close views of a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL at dusk.

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch ?

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