Hi Tweeters,



I spent New Years day birding mostly the Port Townsend area with Dave and Sherry Hayden.? We ended up with about 70 species for the day.? Here's a few of the highlights:



George Adams Salmon Hatchery (Hwy 101):? We timed it so that we would arrive at first light.? We went straight from the parking lot to the creek and out first birds of the year were 2 A. DIPPERS!



Lower Oak?Bay Campground: BRANT, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, N, PINTAIL, AMERICAN WIGEON, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, DUNLIN, HORNED GREBE, SURF SCOTER, PIGEON GUILLEMOT?



Fort Flagler SP:? PINE SISKIN, VARIED THRUSH, HERMIT THRUSH (on the drive to the spit).? At the spit:? A large flock consisting mostly of DUNLIN, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER,? BLACK TURNSTONE, with a few SANDERLING and 1 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER.? In the water: BRANT, LONG-TAILED DUCK, HARLEQUIN DUCK, all 3 species of CORMORANT, COMMON LOON, WHITE-WINGED & SURF SCOTER.? Also seen were BALD EAGLE, and several passerines, including WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.



Mystery Bay SP:? GREATER YELLOWLEGS, HOODED MERGANSER, BELTED KINGFISHER.



Oak Bay County Park: Best birds were 2 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS scoped on the jetty.



Point Hudson: The water was very calm and there was virtually no wind, giving us great visibility.? Out in the water we scoped ANCIENT MURRELET, MARBLED MURRELET, COMMON MURRE, RHINOCEROS AUKLET, PIGEON GUILLEMOT,?and RED-NECKED GREBE.? There were only a couple of BLACK TURNSTONES on the rundown pier by the marina.



Point Wilson (in Fort Warden SP): Same species of alcids that we saw at Point Hudson; also RED-THROATED LOON flying high and several PACIFIC LOON flying low.? We also saw 1 LONG-TAILED DUCK.



Kah Tai Lagoon:? The lake was almost entirely frozen over.? The small open area had several RUDDY DUCK, 1 RING-NECKED DUCK, 1 LESSER SCAUP.? A flock of BUSHTITS flew around us on the trail.



Miscellaneous other locations.? Lots of VARIED THRUSHES at several stops, EVENING GROSBEAK, KILLDEER, FOX SPARROW, GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, COMMON MERGANSER, MEW GULL, RED-TAILED HAWK, plus several of the usual suspects.



Mammals for the day included COYOTE, RIVER OTTER, HARBOR PORPOISE, BLACK-TAILED DEER, HARBOR SEAL, SEA LION (SP).



It was a great day with perfect winter weather.



Good birding,



Lonnie Somer

Olympia

wheelermombi at comcast.net