Subject: [Tweeters] Jefferson County in the cold wind on Sat. Nov. 21, 2009
Date: Nov 22 17:07:23 2009
From: washingtonbirder.Knittle - washingtonbirder at hotmail.com



Tom Mansfield and I birded Jefferson County in the blowing wind. South of Mt. Walker was rain with not much wind, but things really changed once you were in Quilcene and north wind wise. Places visited were Chimacum Valley, Fort Flagler State Park, Mystery Bay State Park, Crocker Lake, Lake Leland, East Quilcene Rd., Duckabush River Rd., Larry Scott Trail, Point Hudson, North Beach County Park, Fort Warden, Egg and I Rd.

While owling along the west side of Chimacum Valley we had a lone Northern Pygmy-Owl answer back to a Great Horned Owl tape. It must be pretty brave or not too smart as Great Horned Owls could have eaten him for breakfast. The Center Valley Rd. is a good spot to find wintering Trumpeter Swans and by checking them over one was a Tundra Swan. It was nice to see them side by side in comparing sizes with the Tundra being smaller. Tundra Swans seem tough anywhere on the Olympic Pennisula. At the pond near the light house at Fort Flagler a Western Meadowlark sang his full song once. The wind talked him out of a second song. At Mystery Bay we had a Mourning Dove and Anna?s Hummingbird. The Black Turnstones off Point Hudson were hiding in the rocks and pilings protecting the small marina. They never would fly for us to see how many or if other species were hanging out with them due to the nasty wind.

On the Larry Scott Trail we had a Lincoln?s Sparrow. 1 female Black Scoter was seen off of Fort Worden west of Point Wilson. 1 late Heermann?s Gull was flying off of Port Townsend water front. Even though we had 64 species we would have done much better if we had not had the wind. Many sought after birds just were not showing themselves.


Ken Knittle
Vancouver WA 98665
mailto:washingtonbirder at hotmail.com
Washington Birder online
http://www.wabirder.com/