Tweeters:



Like Gary Bletsch, Anne Winskie and I found that Saturday was the day to be out birding. Though the day started poorly (SE winds to 30 mph plus light rain at times), at about 9 am sunlight appeared and the winds calmed. Though we had 107 species for the day (and I added three others for count-period), this turned out to be one of the best surveys ever. Locally-breeding species clearly had a good season and there were a few rarities.



The public beach was a winged wonderland of birds--an amazing spectacle of swirling swallow-swift hordes feeding very low and at close range. In the scrub, impressive numbers of goldfinches, House Finches and sparrows were moving about. I was scouring a small flock of the latter when a crested, light grayish-brown bird flushed from point-blank range, alighting on a nearby cedar. As it landed I could see the distinct rufous in the tail and wings of a Myiarchus-type flycatcher, which contrasted with otherwise dingy grayish, although the underparts were whitish-creamy. Recalling the recent Mtlk Fill Ash-throated Flycatcher, as well as past September birds for Skagit Co (3), San Juan Co (1), and a few others westside, the chances are high that this was another Ash-throated. Alas, the WC Sparrows chased the bird off at landing, so I did not have the luxury of separating it from the less likely cogeners. And I was unable to relocate it that eve or yesterday morning.



Inspired by reports of pelagics off the M/V Coho lately, I spent particular tiem scoping from the bluff trail. Just past dawn, I was rewarded by a CASSIN'S AUKLET having a hard time fighting the wind as it flew toward Protection I. Then in the eve, a jaeger flew from the island toward Sequim Bay. But the bird, although far off, was all wrong--white head without cap, whitish breast, rapid, tern-like buoyant flight, barred undertail, slim and smallish proportions...Juv LONG-TAILED JAEGER! Pomarine was once seen in Sept off this bluff, but this species is more likely inside Puget Sound waters than LT.



MIGRANT AND OTHER BIRD HIGHLIGHTS, GRAYS 9/5/09

A.M.: cloudy to partly cloudy, wind SE 10-30 mph, occasional light rain; P.M.: partly to mostly cloudy, wind variable, 5-15 mph. Temp. 57-68 F.



Hooded Merganser 5, Wood Duck 1

Semipalmated Sandpiper 1 in w/L & Westerns

Killdeer 37

LONG-TAILED JAEGER 1 (juv, offshore)

Parasitic Jaeger 1 ad

Thayer's Gull 1 (1st-winter, early FOS, offshore)

Com. Murre 757 (highest for surveys, mostly rafts of juv)

CASSIN'S AUKLET 1 (offshore)

Vaux's Swift 102 (highest for surveys)

Black Swift 1 (second for Grays)

Downy Woodpecker 15 (record-high)

MYIARCHUS, sp. 1 (public beach scrub)

Olive-sided Flycatcher 1

Hammond's Flycatcher 1

Pac-slope Flycatcher 1

5 swallow species including record-high 601 Violet-greens, 1 late CLIFF, N. Rough-w, 2 TREE, nearly 1000 swallows total

Swainson's Thrush 12

Am. Pipit 3 FOS

high numbers of Cal. Quail, Com. Raven, Am. Robin, Bewick's Wren, Bushtit

7 warbler species, nothing unusual and normal #s

7 sparrow species (not incl Junco) including FOS FOX and GOLDEN-CROWNED

Purple Finch 34 (record-high)

House Finch 238 (record-high)

Am Goldfinch 112 (record-high)

W. Tanager 5

Black-headed Grosbeak 1



Count period birds--the night prior to the survey, as rain set in, I heard a SOLITARY SANDPIPER call twice in southbound flight overhead at about 9 pm. This was the third new species for the site list. Yesterday, I also added singles of Mourning and EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE. The latter was perched on a telephone wire right along Wilcox Lane, then flew into the poplars right at the west edge of the Graysmarsh property. This was just the second for the site.



Finally, in the big-one-tha-might-have-got-away category: I ran into a mixed flock of warblers and vireos right at the Holland House residence adjacent ot the berry stand and farm. Birds were flitting about in low poplars and garden ornamentals. I was watching two Warbling Vireos when a bird that may have been a Philadelphia Vireo appeared. This fleeting view revealed almost wholly yellow underparts (except for a white belly), but I could not see the head well--the cap and supercilium were on the money for Philadelphia, but I did not observe the lores or throat. However, as a consolation, a juv. CHIPPING SPARROW was here, and it conveniently hopped around the parking area before flying off.



For those of you thinking about getting out, this is the time--September is here.



Scott Atkinson

Lake Stevens

mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com



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