Dear Tweeters,

Today (2-06-2010) was a lovely day to bird DeBay Slough (between Mt. Vernon and Clear Lake, Skagit County).

Among the watefowl was a hybrid MALLARD X AMERICAN WIGEON. This drake had an all-green head, except for a small pale patch on the crown. The body was pretty much like that of a drake American Wigeon.

I saw this bird in a flock of hundreds of Mallard, American Wigeon, and Northern Pintail. I might add that the green heads of the drake Mallards were simply stunning in the midday light, beyond any emerald in their brilliancy.

Today began the first weekend of the year for a safe and worthwhile walk from the hunters' parking area northwards along the slough, toward the blind--since the waterfowl hunt is over. The hybrid was visible from the blind. It was a shy bird, staying hidden in the vegetation more than the Mallards and other ducks out there.

Interestingly, there were almost no waterfowl to the south of the causeway. All during the seemingly interminable hunting season, that section of slough had teemed with birds, with only a few doomed individuals turning up in the part north of the causeway. Now that the hunt is over, the distribution of ducks has reversed.

There were lots of sparrows, mainly Oregon Juncos and Song Sparrows, plus at least a dozen if not twenty Lincoln's Sparrows, and a very few Fox Sparrows. Oddly, I could find no Zonotrichias, even though this place usually has lots of them, including the occasional White-throated.

Also of note was one of the largest flocks of MOURNING DOVES I have ever seen in Skagit County, at least 70 of them feeding among sapling alders beyond the blind.

Flocks of Trumpeter Swans were flying right over my head the whole time, their calls so blaringly loud that it was almost painful at times. I heartily recommend a walk here!

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

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