Subject: [Tweeters] Graysmarsh birds
Date: May 4 08:48:52 2009
From: Scott Atkinson - scottratkinson at hotmail.com



Tweeters:



Anne Winskie and I were back for the annual spring survey at Graysmarsh near Sequim yesterday. After last year's record 123 species (also on May 3), we were low this time, with 109. We had an additional 14 species the day prior en route (as described in earlier post). Other than birds, we enjoyed up-close views of a courting pair of Muskrats in a side-slough, butterflies were remarkably numerous, Mule Deer were everywhere, and we had a nice W. Rough-skinned Newt cross the trail. The weather was clear for the first half of the day, and then the sun reappeared for the last 3 hours. Although we added no new species for the site list, bird highlights included:



Blue-winged Teal 1 female (Lake Eleanor)

PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER 1 (beach)

BB Plover 21 (good count for Grays)

Barred Owl 1 (this is surely the same as Bruce Paige reported along Holland Rd, also heard mid-morn)

House Wren 1

Swainson's Thrush 2 (first of season)

Hermit Thrush 1

Am. Pipit 2

Cedar Waxwing 1

CASSIN'S VIREO 1 (s. Grays bluff trail, heard singing)

Warbling Vireo 2 (first of season)

Yellow Warbler 1 (first of season)

W. Tanager 1 (public beach conifers, FOS, quick eye by Anne)

Lincoln's Sparrow 2



It was the best-ever day for White-crowned Sparrow, with 88 counted, including a couple gambeli, but Golden-crowns were almost absent.



The big news of the day, however, was warblers--and a second straight 10-warbler day. There was one terrific flock right along the east shore of Lake Sugarma that included at least 7 species and about 60 individuals; highlights were a darting NASHVILLE WARBLER, a 1st-year PALM WARBLER (had just gone for a bath at lake's edge), and a celata-type ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. Celatas seem easy in the fall, but less so in spring. Yellow-rumps predominated in this group, with just 2-3 MYRTLE present. Close by, a mysterious Townsend's-Hermit type song was heard from atop an old-growth fir. I was unable to get a look this time.



Scott Atkinson

Lake Stevens

mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com





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