Tweeters,

I did a little birding last Thursday (April 8) on Fidalgo and Whidbey
Islands, and managed to find a few birds despite the strong and persistent
NW winds.

Of greatest interest was a concentration of 25 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS feeding
among the cobbles on the east side of Ala Spit, near the north end of
Whidbey Island, on the Skagit Bay side. Ala Spit is shown, but not named, in
the DeLorme Atlas map; it is close to Hope Island State Park. The tide was
low; at high tide, this area would be underwater.

When I arrived at Ala Spit, I at first counted 18 oystercatchers, but had a
bit of trouble separating them from the numerous crows which were also
feeding on the beach. (I couldn't see the bills on some of the
oystercatchers!) After several recounts, I came up with 25 oystercatchers.

I see oystercatchers regularly at Rosario Head on Fidalgo Island, and
occasionally along the west side of Whidbey Island, but have never seen one
before at Ala Spit (which is a spot I rarely bird) or anywhere else on the
east side of Whidbey Island. Furthermore, for me, this is the biggest group
of oystercatchers I've ever seen in the Puget Sound area (not counting San
Juan County). Is this a record high count for Island County?

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net