Hi Tweets

12 of us took a Seattle Audubon trip to the Samish and Skagit areas yesterday. It started out chilly, 32F, but clear. Our first stop was at the Conway exit where a field was filled with swans just east of I-5. Scanning them they were mostly TRUMPETER SWANS with a couple of TUNDRA SWANs mixed in. Two of the Trumpeters had neck collars (Red M81 and Yellow M26). The first of our BALD EAGLEs flew over. As we drove back toward I-5 a male AMERICAN KESTREL was perched on a wire, and light standards were covered in their usual collection of ROCK PIGEONs. We drove thru Conway and turned onto Dike Rd (the road just east of the levee for the Skagit River. There was a scattering of EUROPEAN STARLINGs, and then near one of the barns a great aggregation of them. Further along their were occasional BREWER'S BLACKBIRDs as well as a RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. We turned on Stackpole Rd to get back to the frontage road and saw a large group of SNOW GEESE to the north -we estimated that there were about 5,000.

>From there we returned to I-5 and took the Chuckanut Dr. turnoff. Scattered groups of swans were seen, as well as a RED-TAILED HAWK. Several GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLs were in the fields. We turned onto Ershig Road and saw more swans, starlings, and in the only small patch of open water a single male COMMON GOLDENEYE (the water couldn't have been more that 3-4 inches deep). In a nearby field were more gulls, including a CALIFORNIA GULL. A HOUSE SPARROW was at one house. A couple of STELLER'S JAYs flew away, and we saw several more BALD EAGLEs, and a couple of RED-TAILED HAWKs.

We turned on Bow Hill Rd. and looked at another Red-tail, and one of our cars got nice looks at a PILEATED WOODPECKER. We continued east over I-5 and down to old 99 and the Pomona Grange county park. We got nice looks at two AMERICAN DIPPERs in the creek, a single male COMMON MERGANSER swam down the creek, and a PACIFIC WREN sounded off. An AMERICAN ROBIN flew down the path. As we returned to the cars a couple of smaller birds flew over the road - they turned out to be RED CROSSBILLs.

Retracing our route we dropped back down into the Samish Flats and past a tree with 8 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVEs, and it seemed that almost every other tree held a Bald Eagle and every fifth a Red-tailed Hawk. A NORTHERN FLICKER was along the route. We rejoined Chuckanut Drive and saw still more Bald Eagles and Red-tailed Hawks. A large flock of ducks took off in the distance, and by their long, slim profile we could see that they were NORTHERN PINTAILs. Up at the lagoon at the north end of Blanchard there were about 100 NORTHERN PINTAIL and a pair of MALLERDs. Most of the fields along the way had GREAT BLUE HERONs. In the Blanchard area we saw SPOTTED TOWHEEs, NORTHERN FLICKERs, heard RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDs. At the house with feeders at the corner of Blanchard Rd and Colony Rd. we saw EUROPEAN STARLINGs, DARK-EYED JUNCOs, SONG and GOLDEN-CROWNED and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWs, female RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDs, a BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, and some HOUSE FINCH.

We went back down south and turned on Bow-Edison Rd. We saw more Bald Eagles and Red-tailed Hawks. Coming into Edison we was six more EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVEs, the Merlin was not on station. After a nice stop at the Farm-to-Market Bakery and lunch watching the slough behind the bakery - lots of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, a BELTED KINGFISHER, and several more Bald Eagles - we moved on west. A RING-NECKED PHEASANT was in the brambles just after we turned onto Bayview-Edison Rd. We scanned the mouth of the Samish River and saw MALLARDs, AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN PINTAIL, LESSER SCAUP, HOODED MERGANSER and BUFFLEHEAD. A single DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT was present. Several COMMON RAVENs were all over the flats, as were AMERICAN CROWs. A few more Bald Eagles. At the house the large cottonwood trees just west of there there were another 18 BALD EAGLEs. As we progressed around the East 90 we saw some more Bald Eagles, and several NORTHERN HARRIERs and some more GREAT BLUE HERONs.

Out at the West 90, there were (guess what?) several more BALD EAGLEs, a couple of RED-TAILED HAWKs, two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKs (all we saw all day), a SONG SPARROW, a SAVANNAH SPARROW, a WESTERN MEADOWLARK, and about 16 NORTHERN HARRIERs. Most of the Harriers we saw were immatures, with the rest female. No Short-eared Owls, and with the number of Harriers cruising around they likely would have been flushed. We had two more RED-TAILED HAWKs and some more Bald Eagles going north toward Samish Island. Samish Bay held lots of AMERICAN WIGEON, some NORTHERN PINTAIL and some MALLARDs. The ducks were backlit making it difficult to tell whether there were any Eurasian Wigeon present. On the far shore was a long line of DUNLIN. A couple of Bald Eagles were overhead.

We went out to the Wharf Rd. access point. There we found out that the spot has been taken over by Skagit County Parks from the State DMR. Parks has replaced the steps with a neat new all metal set with nice rough treads. They were just finishing up repairing the trail, and arrangements have been made with private landowners to provide access to the beach. Hooray! We scanned the bay and picked up BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE, SURF SCOTER, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, RED-NECKED GREBE, RED-THROATED, PACIFIC and COMMON LOON, and PIGEON GUILLEMOT. Way out was a line of BRANT. We got nice looks at several LONG-TAILED DUCKs. A CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE was along the shore. Some DARK-EYED JUNCOs were at the feeder across the street.

We cruised several of the roads on the Samish Flats, and saw more BALD EAGLEs, RED-TAILED HAWKs, NORTHERN HARRIERs and GREAT BLUE HERONs. As we left the Samish Flats we determined that we had seen just over 100 BALD EAGLEs, at least 35 RED-TAILED HAWKs, 30 NORTHERN HARRIERS and about 60 GREAT BLUE HERONs.

On Dodge Valley Rd we had a field with about 400 swans, both TRUMPETER and TUNDRA SWANs. At Valentine Ranch, on Valentine Rd. the feeder activity was in full swing. While there we saw BLACK-CAPPED and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEEs, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, PINE SISKIN, SONG, WHITE-CROWNED, GOLDEN-CROWNED, and FOX SPARROWs, SPOTTED TOWHEE, HOUSE FINCH, MORNING DOVE, RED-TAILED HAWK, CALIFORNIA QUAIL, DOWNY and HAIRY WOODPECKER, STELLER'S JAY, AMERICAN ROBIN, DARK-EYED JUNCO.

We proceeded down to Fir Island and turned onto Rawlins Rd. At the end of the road the field around the farm house was completely filled with in excess of 25,000 SNOW GEESE. Looks like the end of hunting season has brought the geese back onto Fir Island. They were not spooky at all allowing several photographers to approach with 10-15 feet. Up on the dike we looked for Shorte-eared Owls, no luck. But he did have 5-6 NORTHERN HARRIERs, and another 15 BALD EAGLEs. We finished up the day running down Wylie Rd., picking up more MALLARDs, a GREEN-WINGED TEAL and a couple of GADWALL in the little drainage ditch near the dairy barn. At the Skagit Game Range we saw a BEWICK'S WREN and a HOODED MERGANSER. A cooperative BLACK PHOEBE sang and posed for us immediately on arriving. A nice finish to the day.

We wound up with 125 BALD EAGLES, about 45 RED-TAILED HAWKs, about 40 NORTHERN HARRIERs and 5 AMERICAN KESTRELs, and 73 species.

As a noted birding expert would say "It was a good day!"

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville WA
mail to bell asoc at iso media dot com