Subject: [Tweeters] Samish Flats - 2 days of birdied bliss - 1/22/10 and
Date: Jan 25 14:52:23 2010
From: Barbara Deihl - barbdeihl at comcast.net
Here's a rather long, exhuberant reporting of a few highlights
experienced by Bob & Joyce Gordon and me on Friday, the 22nd, and by
me on my own on Sunday, the 24th.:
FRIDAY JAN 22:
Western Meadowlarks in bushes and on the ground just as you get off
Highway 20 and start down the Bayview Edison Rd. toward the Padilla
Bay Estuarine Nature Reserve - calling out - around 8:15 a.m. or so
Dunlin/Peregrine interaction in the fields along that same road, 1/2/
hour later (around high tide) - imm. Peregrine took one Dunlin
picturesque Bald Eagle trio on a tall fir tree behind the Christian
Ctr. on Scott Rd. - 1 dark imm. and 2 adults
'light' Merlin on one of the '3 Firs" across from the Farm-to-Market
bakery on the corner as you come into town (it's open again, by the
way - a cinnamon roll and a lime-soaked polenta) were great, as was
the Merlin - it flew after a group of blackbirds (not starlings) on
the south side of the street across from the bakery, but didn't catch
any (it tried twice) and sat in a deciduous tree on that side of the
street for a bit and then flew off - I accidentally deleted my best
photo of it, but do have a few so-so ones.
a darker Merlin picking at a small, chickadee-looking bird on a phone
pole at the corner of Farm-to-Market Rd. and the Bayview Edison Rd.
just outside of Edison. Bob got a decent shot of it.
surprised NOT to see any Short-eared Owls either at West 90 or North
Fork Access on Fir Island. Very few Northern Harriers that day, too -
a few were near the Dunlin field and at West 90. A scarcity of Red-
tailed Hawks was apparent, too
a Mourning Dove showed us it's blue eye-ring and black spots, while we
observed it in a deciduous tree on someone's property across from the
Christian Ctr. on Scott Rd. Later, while driving down Thomas Rd. we
spotted a Eurasian Collared Dove.
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SUNDAY JAN 24:
After the Gordons and I experienced such special sightings (and
soundings) up in the Samish area on Friday (1/22/10), I figured my
trip up there on Sunday would be rather subdued, but instead it turned
out to be very wonderful in its own way. Sun and warmth and calm had
given way to clouds and cold and wind. No singing Western Meadowlarks
accompanied the start of the drive up Bayview Edison Rd. There wasn't
a peppering of raptors on the trees and posts and snags. I almost
felt that, though I had arrived in plenty of time to witness possible
Dunlin/Peregrine action in the fields around the high-tide time, that
day might bring nary a 'peep'. In fact, as I arrived at those fields,
it again took me second and third looks to notice the huddling masses
of Dunlin which were so perfectly camouflaged on the mud. At that
point I couldn't even find signs of Peregrine Falcons on posts or on
the ground. One hopeful sign was the presence of Bud Anderson (falcon
expert) and another car of people with cameras and binoculars. Surely
I had just missed some action. But, perhaps it was time to muster up
some patience, put on a couple more layers of outer wear, and wait
with the rest and best of the watchers. Maybe the falcons hadn't
scored a meal yet and would hunt again. I parked and did just that,
using just my binoculars as I'd be better able to follow any action
with them. My scope and digital camera have their limitations, but
the binocs could be my best tool.
So I waited. And waited. A few more carloads of interested birders
and non-birders pulled up (and drove away). I tapped on my binoculars
with my fingerless-gloved fingers. I chatted with Bud and others,
including Becky Rosencrans, who was taking turns with the big camera
Bud was using, but still no waves of Dunlins or appearance of a speedy
predator. Until, that is, Becky drove off for a bathroom break.
Suddenly the Dunlin lifted off and a swift brown form with angled
wings, appeared, weaving deftly through the Dunlin, not just once, but
repeatedly, flying through a group of the frantic thousands, swooping
around and diving back in again, 3 or 4 times before flying off empty-
taloned to rest and plan it's next attack. This immature Peregrine
got in a lot of practice before it had success. It would circle
across the road and back around and up to the Dunlin field, coming at
the small birds from varying directions, angles and heights. There
was a break in the action - was it over? Suddenly the Peregrine
flashed barely over our heads and dove in for another try. Bud would
say later that it was as if it used our small group of people to block
the Dunlins' view of it as it zoomed in. I followed the Peregrine as
best I could and did see it fly off back over our heads and across the
road, with a Dunlin neatly tucked into its body, keeping its
aerodynamic profile and zipping off to reap the sustenance of its
catch. But the action was not finished - in came an adult Peregrine,
swooping and seemingly stooping on the one with the prey, attempting
to wrest the Dunlin from the successful hunter. None of us ever saw
whether or not the adult stole the prize. This action took place
across the road, with Mt. Baker looking on and with all of us standing
with dropped jaws in astonishment and exhilaration over what we'd just
witnessed. The whole hunt probably only took 5 minutes, but it was a
WOWer! Bud was beside himself with excitement over what he said was
the most thrilling hunt he'd witnessed in all his 45 years of watching
Peregrines! Now THAT'S something! I was tickled pink (or red,
considering my windburn!) - at LAST I was in the right place at the
right time to witness something spectacular (well, there was the Mt.
St. Helens eruption in 1980...) And poor Becky - she returned from
her rest stop to find she had missed it all.
After that the discovery of a just-dead Dunlin just over the fence
from where we were, provided a teachable moment - the hapless Dunlin
had flown right into a power line, its bill and mouth splitting open
on contact, killing it instantly. Photos were taken to document this
- it was sad, but interesting. Also interesting were the explanations
for the 2 kinds of objects you see on the power lines along the road
out there - the little spinning ones are so birds, big and small, will
not fly into the lines (apparently this was started because of the
swans having unfortunate encounters with the lines, their vision being
such that they can't see the lines as they come up on them. The
addition of these wind-spun dangles seems to help divert many of the
birds away from directly hitting the lines. The other line
attachments, the metal triangles, are for diminishing the effect of
wind on the lines! Perhaps the little Dunlin encountered its line in
the rush of the flush, attempting to avoid the incoming Peregrine...
One does wonder if they do occasionally bash into each other in
flight...word has it that bashing and subsequent crashing is a fairly
uncommon occurrence among these swirling dervishes.
The rest of my day, after this amazing start, brought several more
special incidents, moments and sightings, on which I will not
elaborate here, but will gladly share with any of you another time.
The topics that a selection of 20 photos I culled from the over 200 I
took are: 1. sunrise at the home in Seattle before taking off to the
north; 2. Dunlin fields (no shots of the hunting Peregrine); 3. Rough-
legged Hawk on wire near the Dunlin fields; 4. Effects of wind on same
Roughleg; 5. West 90 in the wind- a Rough-legged Hawk hidden in some
distant bare trees); 6. Samish Slough near the bakery - Green-winged
Teal and 2 adult Bald Eagles; 7. Black Merlin in Edison - across from
the bakery in a deciduous tree (these are GOOD shots!); and 8. Heron
next to road on my way out of the flats. I can send any or all 20 of
the images to you in an email, if you request them.
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Two mighty fine days in Samish country.
Barb Deihl
North Matthews Beach - Seattle
barbdeihl at comcast.net