Subject: [Tweeters] Good birds Ediz Hook to Sequim, CLALLAM, 1/30
Date: Jan 31 11:21:38 2011
From: Scott Atkinson - scottratkinson at hotmail.com



Tweeters:

Took the family out to Clallam Co yesterday. We found the two SNOW BUNTINGS with ease near the Ediz Hook tower,
and then puzzled over the odd white-winged gull in the tame flock out there. Even with this gull virtually eating out
of one's hand, this is not such an easy i.d. GLAUCOUS-W. x GLAUCOUS comes to mind and seems most likely, the
bird's gizz just doesn't quite seem right. It's a bit smallish and the head/facial pattern seems wrong. But the bill
and others seem to support the GW x Glaucous i.d. Will be interested in what other observers think about this bird,
and it is real friendly out there. Has there ever been a GLAUCOUS x KUMLIEN'S hybrid?

There was also an 1st-winter GLAUCOUS GULL at the dairy farm near the south end of Schmuck Rd in a gull roost
there, this is the large working farm just north/NW of Battelle's entrance and Washington Harbor. There was another
white-winged gull in there, too, probably a second GLAUCOUS but I did not have a good enough look at this
fly-away bird.

The most exciting bird of the day, though, was none of these. My wife and I observed what was very likely a RED-
SHOULDERED HAWK coming into Sequim. We had just passed the Washington Street exit off 101 and noted a
smallish raptor soaring low and close to the northeast. My jaw dropped because I thought we had a BROAD-
WINGED by gizz--and this was a small Buteo we both saw three quick, shallow, accipiter-like wing beats followed
by a glide--TWICE. I was even more floored when I noted very distinct rusty-orangish underwing linings and the
sharply-contrasting white crescents at the outer primaries below, and in general a notable contrast between colorful
wing linings and light primaries.

The bird circled northeast and I lost it somewhere headed over Carrie Blake Park. The situation there along 101
doesn't avail itself to roadside bird studies at length. The bad tail news: from the angle especially and distance,
I could not capture any tail details except that it was dark both above and below, so no red, but no white bars, either.
I later considered COOPER'S for this bird but the wing linings and plumage above seemed all wrong.

'Ol Bob could correct me on this, but we have just one certain RS HAWK for CLALLAM from Three Crabs a number
of winters back, that stayed for awhile. Plus there was the Eugene Kridler report from just off n.e. Brown Rd, right
near downtown Sequim and very close to Graysmarsh property at Geirin Creek. If memory serves, that was a late
Dec. report.

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com