Four birders from the Eastside Audubon went on the annual Whidbey Wing-Dings Bird A Thon. We had light rain from 6 a.m. to mid-morning and then again from mid-afternoon to the finish at 7 p.m. But that didn't hinder the birding. Our previous high for this event was 112 in 2008, but we blew past this goal and ended up with 120. We had 103 by lunch time. We got on the 0630 ferry from Mukilteo to Clinton, birded our way up Whidbey Island and then come back by way of the Skagit and Stilliguamish Valleys.

Some of the highlights were 12 waterfowl species at the Ewing Road ponds, 5 swallow species, Osprey, American Bittern, Western KIngbird and Virginia Rail. At Sunlight Waters by Deer Lagoon we had more ducks and some shorebirds - Dunlin, Western Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plover and Greater Yellowlegs. At the Lincoln St. beach access we saw Ring-necked Pheasant, Brant geese, Belted Kingfisher, Least Sandpipers and Red-necked Grebe.

The Earth Sanctuary was good for Hermit Thrush, Wilson's Warbler, Hooded Merganser and Black-headed Grosbeak.

Double Bluff Beach had three loon species, many Bonaparte's Gulls, Harlequin Ducks and both Anna's & Rufous Hummingbirds. While the ponds had many Ruddy Ducks in breeding plumage, Northern Pintail, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Killdeer and one Canvasback.

Crockett Lake was teeming with thousands of Western Sandpipers as well as Dunlin and Black-bellied Plovers. A pair of Black Oystercatchers were on the far shore of the Keystone ferry terminal.

We ate lunch at Fort Casey State Park and found the resident GREAT HORNED OWL and HOUSE WRENs. We also got our first Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown-headed Cowbirds and two Brown Creepers

On the Penn Cove mussel rafts were Black Turnstones, Surfbirds and one beautiful RUDDY TURNSTONE. Pt. Partridge had nothing new, but on the way to Hastie L. Road beach access we saw a EURASIAN-COLLARED DOVE on a power line. From the beach we saw a LONG-TAILED DUCK in breeding plumage, a first for all of us. It is a stunning contrast to the winter plumage. We also saw Eared Grebe in breeding plumage and two WHIMBREL.

At Dugualla Bay and Rosario Beach Park did not find anything new, so we headed for the Skagit Valley. Rawlins Road in the Skagit valley did not result in any Short-eared Owls, but we did get a Merlin. The Jensen Access produced a Peregrine Falcon and very long distant views of a few hundred Snow Geese. At the Hayden Preserve There were a number of Long-billed Dowitchers feeding in the mudflats. Surprisingly, our last bird of the day was a pair of Bushtits at the Skagit WMA.

Hugh Jennings
Bellevue, WA
h2ouzel at comcast.net

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