Dear Tweeters,

Today was another fine day to bird in the Skagit.

Biggest highlights were shorebirds at Hayton Preserve: two BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS, one each AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER and PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER. Unbeknownst to me, Steve and Gail Aslanian had already come and gone, having seen three American Golden Plovers there.

The Golden-plovers were both out in the cucumber fields, directly east of the parking area. They were amazingly hard to find. I would probably not have even noticed them, but my scope happened to be trained on the motionless American Golden when I looked into the eyepiece. This bird did a very little walking, then sat down and just about disappeared against the brown dirt. After a while, it got up and wandered around a bit, but then I took my eye off it, and could not relocate it.

When after a while I thought I'd found it again, it turned out to be a Pacific Golden Plover!

A few minutes later, a bunch of Killdeer flushed, and with them was a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER! By the time Bob Kuntz came rushing over, it became apparent that there were two of the Buffies out there.

Two beginning birders happened to be out at Hayton. I think their life-list of shorebirds now reads: Killdeer, American Golden-Plover, Pacific Golden-Plover, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper--and that's it! I doubt that very many birders wind up "getting" their shorebirds in that particular order....

Other fun birds today included:


Horned Grebe, at least 40 off Jensen Access. No Eared today, but they do turn up in the bay there this time of year.

American Bittern, one at Hayton Preserve.

Wood Duck, still about 30 of them at DeBay's Slough, plus a couple at the Game Range.

Dabbling Ducks: hordes at the Game Range and off Jensen, including 100's of American Wigeon, one Eurasian Wigeon (off Jensen), good numbers of Pintail and Mallard, some Green-winged Teal, and a very few Gadwall and Shoveller.

Semipalmated Plover: still a handful of them at the river at Lyman, but no Killdeer there today, oddly.

Peeps: best spot to observe them today was the river at Lyman: Leasts and Westerns, plus a wannabe Semipalmated Sandpiper (i.e., a Western who'd had a nose-job).

Greater Yellowlegs, very few today, one at Lyman, one each at Hayton and Jensen--and no other tringines anywhere.

L-B Dowitcher--a handful of them at Hayton, three at Jensen, calling.

Wilson's Snipe--two at Hayton, five at Jensen.

Baird's Sandpiper--one at Lyman, at least five, and probably more, at Hayton.

Pectoral Sandpiper--one at Lyman.

American Pipit, 15 or so at Jensen Access.

Willow Flycatcher, two or more at DeBay's Slough (still singing), one each at Lyman and Fir Island Game Range.

MacGillivray's Warbler, one at Lyman.

Western Tanager, one at the Game Range.

Black-headed Grosbeak, one at the Game Range.


Good birding to you all,

Yours truly,

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