Subject: [Tweeters] Bazillions of swans at night near Ebey Slough
Date: Dec 7 20:22:17 2011
From: Monica Van der Vieren - mvanderv4137 at earthlink.net


Okay, I've given myself away as a non-birder for my slightly inaccurate count~

I heard the honking of a lot of swans downriver when I was cleaning stalls tonight and walked Homeacres Road to Jackknife Bridge (formally Ebey Slough Bridge #3). The location is a flooded area below the bridge on the south (Snohomish) side, where the now semi-submerged City of Everett water line is located (not the raised part on Ebey Island). Property is for sale, owner is INTERESTING (we get along) but not for everyone and about got in a fistfight last year with a district commissioner. There is a pullout there and across the road.

I had seen several swans there over the weekend during the day when the colorful "Delta S Cattle" operation was slowly dismantling from their leased space due to the slow flooding of the fields (must have no tidegate left at all). I walked down tonight because the swans were so loud and seemed so numerous from what I could hear at my house. It was dark, but the lights on surrounding areas of Fobes Hill reflect from the water in the fields, and passing headlights would illuminate the birds. There was really an large number of birds, uncountable under those lighting conditions, but greater than I've ever seen. This is new for us- about 40 showed up for a few days in another flooded field- including a few tundra swans - but nowhere near what I could see tonight. I could hear a few ducks as well. A barn owl flew by screeching.

While I'm grateful I have a job in this economy, it does prevent me from going out early a.m. to see if they are still there and catch them at daylight. Hopefully they make this a habit so I can see them on the weekends.

Monica Van der Vieren
Snohomish, WA