Hello all,

I spent a bit of time today searching for Dunlin flocks on the Skagit and Stillaguamish Estuaries. While the trip was research rather than recreation based, I was happy to find a Prairie Falcon from the Port Susan Bay Preserve just south of Stanwood. I was watching an adult Peregrine chasing the Dunlin flocks at high tide when the Prairie swooped past. The Peregrine briefly chased the Prairie, which then perched on a large stump along the shore. The identification was straightforward, but for any photographers out there the Prairie was nowhere near close enough for photos. From the reserve the Prairie Falcon was further north in the bay (looking back towards Stanwood).

There were lots of hunters along the adjacent farm fields, but the reserve, which is owned by The Nature Conservancy and requires prior permission to access, offered great views of the bay, lots of raptors, and plenty of ducks hiding from the shotguns.

Good birding,
Nathan Hentze,
Burnaby, BC