Subject: [Tweeters] Port Townsend Area Birds
Date: Feb 8 21:53:02 2010
From: Carol Riddell - cariddell at earthlink.net


Hi Tweets,

Yesterday (2-7-10) was mild but drizzly in Jefferson County. Birding
was not the reason for my quick trip to Port Townsend, but like every
other member of The Binocular Tribe, I'm always looking. I had a
chance to stop on the southwest side of Discovery Bay at a relatively
new state wildlife area (about the size of a postage stamp), just
south of the railroad cars restaurant (Pizza, Ice Cream, Espresso).
The tide was high when I was there at 8:30 a.m. There were no
particularly noteworthy birds but at least there were birds. I say
that because later in the day, it was decidedly UNbirdy at the Port
Townsend boatyard, North Beach park, and over at Diamond Point at the
western entrance to Discovery Bay. After the fog burned off today
(2-8-10) the sun and blue sky perked things up a bit. But Port
Townsend Bay remained only lightly populated with our avian buddies.
Although just before the ferry left, a flock of Black Turnstones flew
in with two Surfbirds. It was a little more interesting crossing to
Keystone because a lot of Ancient Murrelets were in the middle of
Admiralty Inlet along with a couple of Harbor Porpoises. Around 3
this afternoon Crockett Lake (Island County) had good numbers of
ducks. Northern Pintails appeared to be the most abundant with
perhaps Lesser Scaup coming close. Among the wigeons were one
Eurasian Wigeon and one American x Eurasian hybrid.

Discovery Bay (2-7-10)

Bufflehead
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Bald Eagle (1 ad.)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Great Blue Heron (1)
Glaucous-winged Gull
Mew Gull
Belted Kingfisher (1 male)
Crow
Raven

Port Townsend/Admiralty Inlet (2-8-10)

Common Goldeneye
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Common Loon (1)
Red-necked Grebe
Pelagic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Black Turnstone (50+)
Surfbird (2)
Glaucous-winged Gull
Pigeon Guillemot
Ancient Murrelet

Crockett Lake (2-8-10)

Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon (1)
American Wigeon
American x Eurasian Wigeon Hybrid (1)
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle (2 juv.)
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden-crowned Sparrow

Good birding,

Carol Riddell
Edmonds