Subject: [Tweeters] Re: Skagit W Bluebirds yes; boxes?
Date: Jan 1 19:03:29 2011
From: Ryan Merrill - rjm284 at gmail.com


I was up in the area today and saw the bluebird pair as well. Early
afternoon they were in the grassy area along the road southeast of the
pond. The maps as shown on Google are slightly off, but driving in
from Nookachamp worked well.

Elsewhere there were two Blue Geese with the Snow Goose flock on Fir
Island and at least 20 Short-eared Owls at the West 90. Sure nice
weather to start off the new year, though rather chilly.

Ryan


On Sat, Jan 1, 2011 at 3:01 PM, Gary Bletsch <garybletsch at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Dear Ryan and Tweeters,
>
> Thanks to Ryan Merrill and to Ann Skinner for getting the word out regarding the Western Bluebirds near Big Lake.
>
> I went over there today (1-01-2011) and found a pair of Western Bluebirds with no trouble at all. I do have a few words of advice for those interested in seeking these birds.
>
> Pasted below is Ryan's original message, with the map coordinates. I am not convinced that the Google map shows the roads exactly as they are laid out in relation to the pond. Access is problematic in this area. The roads appear to be public roads, county roads I assume, but there seem to be no place where one can legally park. The trail system here is prominently signed "private," and the parking spots by the trailheads are signed as towaway zones.
>
> I asked a passerby about this, and he suggested that it would be okay if I parked at the trailhead for a few minutes and walked down to the pond, so that's what I did. The bluebirds were right there by the pond, near a little footbridge.
>
> However, afterwards, I worked out a way to view the birds without even having to ask permission. The area above and to the east of the pond is a man-made grassland at the moment, with several roads leading to lots, most of which are still for sale. The bluebirds gave me better views from here than from the trail. I was able to stop the car at two cul-de-sacs for excellent scope views of the birds. Big Fir Place and Bass Pro Place are the two best cul-de-sacs. The birds ranged over the entire area between these two lanes, an area about the size of a big par-five golf hole.
>
> To reach these two cul-de-sacs, take Nookachamp Hills Drive eastwards from SR 9 at Big Lake, just south of the turnoff for the fire hall and school. Stay on Nookachamp Hills Drive, going up a hill, then down. At the bottom of the hill,the road crosses one of the footpaths of the trail system. Then the road ascends. Big Fir Place is the first cul-de-sac on the right; it marks one end of the territory roamed by the bluebirds. Continuing on Nookacham Hills road a few hundred meters past Big Fir Place takes you to Bass Pro Place, from where the pond and the hillside may be viewed. Parking seems to be interdicted at all of these spots, so it is best to view from the car.
>
> By the way, the pond pinpointed on the map is labelled as "Nookachamp Pond" on Google Maps. I am wondering whether this is the pond originally known as Otter Pond?
>
> Finally, I would suggest that the area around the pond looks like a likely spot for some bluebird boxes. Even if all the lots are sold and the "grassland" changes to yards, there seems to be enough open land to support a few pairs of these birds in the area. Meanwhile, though, especially with the sluggish real-estate market, it might be a while before all these lots are sold.
>
> Yours truly,
>
> Gary Bletsch
>
>
>
>
>
> Gary Bletsch ?? ?Near Lyman, Washington (Skagit County), USA ?? ?garybletsch at yahoo.com
>
>
> --- Ryan Merrill <rjm284 at gmail.com> schrieb am Sa, 1.1.2011:
>
>> Von: Ryan Merrill <rjm284 at gmail.com>
>> Betreff: Skagit W Bluebirds
>> An: "Howard Armstrong" <godwits at wavecable.com>, "pam pritzl" <ppritzl at frontier.com>, "Gary Bletsch" <garybletsch at yahoo.com>, "Joel Brady-Power" <fvnerka at hotmail.com>, "Robert Kuntz" <annebobkuntz at gmail.com>
>> CC: "Brad Waggoner" <wagtail at sounddsl.com>, "cwright7" <cwright7 at uw.edu>
>> Datum: Samstag, 1. Januar, 2011 04:13 Uhr
>> I knew there had to be bluebirds
>> somewhere in Skagit!? This report
>> came in today to eBird and I see no reason why it wouldn't
>> be valid...
>>
>> Western Bluebird 2 Dec 31, 2010 Ann Skinner Nookachamp pond
>> Skagit WA
>> "First bluebirds spotted for the year on daily walk around
>> pond. Have
>> seen bluebirds in this general area before."
>>
>> The pond is at 48.39965,-122.227011 (copy coordinates into
>> maps.google.com) near Big Lake.
>>
>> Also, has anyone been seeing Western Scrub-Jays recently in
>> Skagit?? I
>> noticed another report in the Skagit newsletter from the
>> WSU Gardens
>> near Mt Vernon from Nov.? There must be a few hanging
>> around
>> somewhere. Maybe they'll be found on the CBCs on Sunday?
>>
>> Happy New Year!
>> Ryan
>>
>
>
>