A short (is it possible?!) recounting of the chills and thrills
Barbara B. and I experienced yesterday up in the Samish and Skagit
Flats.

Highlights:

Rough-legged Hawks on Bayview Edison Road in several places, near the
Dunlin Field, along Samish Island Road, West 90 Red-tailed Hawks of
a variety of poses in many of the same places as the Roughlegs
Multiple shows starring 3-Peregrines, 1 Merlin, 1 Northern Harrier, 1
adult Bald Eagle, 1 gull, 1000's of Dunlin and a nice group of
watchers and photographers
Seeing some of the great shots captured by a couple of the 'big-lens'
photographers
Hearing the soft-whistling Dunlin
One photographer's running announcements of raptor appearances back
into 'the hunt'
Hearing camera motor-drives clicking madly each time a raptor dove
toward and through the Dunlin
No Dunlin catch by any of the raptors when we were there
Rolling action of Bald Eagle upon attack by the Peregrines
Fritos
Seeing the fabled Prairie Merlin on post # 15
Mistaking a distant pile of mud with a rock on top for a sitting
Peregrine
Late lunch at "Seeds"
Cheap gas
2 Short-eared Owls (male & female) at North Fork Access on Fir Island
Seeing and hearing lots of Snow Geese flying overhead at dusk
SUN

Lowlights:

Bakery closed
No Merlin in Edison
Potholey roads
Slippery mud
No Dunlin catch by any of the raptors when we were there
Bird dearth at West 90
Taking photos into the sun
Misplaced glove and pair of specs (not mine, this time!)
Camera battery running out at N. Fork Access
Too late to Wylie Slough for the Great Horned Owl evening hoot

Another great day in a Winter Raptorland!

------------------

Note and Questions: Seems to be a growing consensus that the lack of
voles up there is a major contributor to low numbers of Short-eared
Owls and possibly Northern Harriers and some other raptors (Kestrels?)
there this winter. The flooding and subsequent death of thousands (?)
of voles last winter must have impacted this year's numbers of both
predator and prey...


Barb Deihl

North Matthews Beach - Seattle

barbdeihl at comcast.net