Hi Tweets

Today, January 30th, 2010, John Friars and I led a Seattle Audubon trip to Sequim, Port Angeles and the Elwha River mouth. We were greeted this morning by a drizzle that continued, and occasionally increased to a light rain, all day long. This had an effect on the birds that we saw as at every location where we normally expected to see passerines it was incredibly quiet. All the small birds were evidently home watching t.v., but definitely out of the rain.

In spite of this we had a good day with lots of water-related birds. We started out the day at the Edmonds ferry terminal with Surf and White-winged Scoters, Common Goldeneyes, Horned Grebes, Bufflehead, Red-necked Grebes, Pelagic and Brandt's Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinocerous Auklet, Glaucous-winged, Ring-billed and California Gulls. Part way across to Kingston we saw several lines of Brant, and closer to Kingston we picked up more scoters, Western Grebes, Red-breasted Mergansers and Barrow's Goldeneyes.

At Port Gamble we saw more Horned and Red-necked Grebes, Common Loon, Bufflehead, both scoters, Bald Eagle, Belted Kingfisher, Song Sparrow, House Finch, Common Goldeneye, Double-crested Cormorant. But probably the highlight of the day was there with a visiting BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE. It was working down near the water, flew around and up by the former store and then off to the west. We saw many of the same birds at Salsbury Point, but added American Wigeon.

A quick stop at Sequim Bay State Park gave us nice looks at Varied Thrush. Down the road at the John Wayne Marina we had lots of Mallards, American Wigeon, Common and Barrow's Goldeneyes, Glaucous-winged and Mew Gulls, Hooded Mergansers, Horned and Red-necked Grebes, Belted Kingfishers, Bald Eagles, American Crows, Common Raven, and very nice looks at Long-tailed Ducks (many sporting looong tails).

We then ran out to the mouth of the Elwha River and picked up Pied-billed Grebe, American Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall on the pond. Unfortunately all the gulls were at least 1/4 to 1/2 mile offshore, but we had Harlequin Duck, Bufflehead, and Black Scoter. So we packed up and went down to Ediz Hook. Lots of gulls on one of the log booms - Glaucous-winged, California, Western and Thayer's. In the surrounding waters there were Harlequin Ducks, Surf Scoters, Bufflehead. On one of the other log booms there were Black-bellied Plovers, Surfbirds, Black Turnstones, Black Oystercatcher, and Dunlin. Offshore were Horned Grebes, Pigeon Guillemots, Long-tailed Ducks. Down near the entrance to the Coast Guard Station were lots of House Sparrows.

At the ponds on Kitchen Dick Rd there were tons of Mallards, Ring-necked Ducks, Northern Shovelers, Greater and Lesser Scaup, a female Canvasback, American Wigeon and Common Merganser. Mourning Doves were in one of the surrounding trees, and Red-winged Blackbirds were present. Not much was down at Dungeness Landing County Park, but many of the gulls already seen. A Red-tailed Hawk was perched in the distance and a Northern Harrier was working back and forth. Three Crabs was also pretty quiet with a collection of the usual gulls.

Other birds seen included Canada Goose, Great Blue Heron, American Coot, Rock Pigeon, Northern Flicker, European Starling, Dark-eyed Junco and Brewer's Blackbird.

All in all a good rainy day (65 species), with a real highlight in the Black-billed Magpie.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville Wa
mail to bell asoc at isomedia dot com