Dear Tweeters,

I forgot to mention this. On 1-24-08, Skagit Audubon had a field trip led by Bob Kuntz. We went to Blaine, Semiahmoo, and Birch Bay. We saw Eared Grebes in all three places, and lots of other birds--although no Black Scoters.

Oddest thing for me was a close look at a Common Loon in Blaine Marina with a crossed bill. The very tip of the bill was crossed in crossbill fashion. The top mandible went right and the bottom went left--if that's how it is on crossbills? This crossing involved only perhaps a centimeter or so of fine, almost needle-like tip.

Is this normal?

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch

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