Dear Tweeters,

This evening (Thursday, 9-30-2010) was the earliest I could get out for a quick try at the Fir Island Game Range. The Ruff that was reported over the weekend did not show up for me.

However, while I was watching a small flock of Long-billed Dowitchers fly in to join the growing throng, I noticed one different bird in the flying flock. It was a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.

A few minutes later, I saw it standing with a second Sharp-tailed. Then, all of a sudden, there were three standing together out there!

Nary a Pectoral did I see, but there were close to 200 LB Dowitchers out there, about 30 Greater and a dozen Lesser Yellowlegs, maybe 20 or 30 Least Sandpipers, and a Black-bellied Plover.

A flock of over 200 blackbirds at the new ponds, mostly Red-winged, included at least one Yellow-headed.

I checked out the site where a Scrub Jay was reported a few days ago; the grey building at the intersection of Chuckanut and Pulver Roads looks most uninviting to any jay, so I suspect that bird has moved on.

Yours truly,

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