Subject: [Tweeters] Skagit zone 15 migratory bird count
Date: May 17 19:34:57 2011
From: csdesilets at comcast.net - csdesilets at comcast.net



Tweeters -

Kurt Ranta, Brad and Natalie Whitman, and I birded area 15 last Saturday for the annual Skagit County count.? This area covers basically the highway 530 corridor bwtween Rockport and the county line just north of Darrington.? The day started out cool, overcast, and threatening, but amazingly turned sunnier and warmer for the rest of day.? We birded between 8AM and 6:30 PM and tallyed 77 species which Kurt told us was excellent for this area.? The total number of birds seemed low though.

Highlights of the count included a DUSKY FLYCATCHER in a very productive hedgerow along the Concrete Sauk Valley Road, and one EASTERN and 11 WESTERN KINGBIRDS as well as 3 LAZULI BUNTINGS in Sauk Prairie.? The Eastern and one Western Kingbird flycaught together right in front of us for as long as we waited - quite a sight indeed.

Our final tally is listed below for anyone who's interested.

Canada Goose ? Branta canadensis n 12
Ring-necked Duck ? Aythya collaris n 1
Bufflehead ? Bucephala albeola n 1
Common Merganser ? Mergus merganser ? n 1
Ruffed Grouse ? Bonasa umbellus ? n 1
Dusky Grouse ? Dendragapus obscurus ? n 1
Turkey Vulture ? Cathartes aura ? n 2
Bald Eagle ? Haliaeetus leucocephalus ? n 2
Northern Harrier ? Circus cyaneus ? n 1
Red-tailed Hawk ? Buteo jamaicensis ? n 1
American Kestrel ? Falco sparverius ? n 1
Virginia Rail ? Rallus limicola ? n 1
Spotted Sandpiper ? Actitis macularius n 3
Wilson's Snipe ? Gallinago delicata n 1
Mourning Dove ? Zenaida macroura ? n 4
Vaux's Swift ? Chaetura vauxi ? n 5
Rufous Hummingbird ? Selasphorus rufus n 13
Belted Kingfisher ? Megaceryle alcyon ? n 2
Hairy Woodpecker ? Picoides villosus ? n 3
Northern Flicker ? Colaptes auratus ? n 5
Pileated Woodpecker ? Dryocopus pileatus ? n 2
Olive-sided Flycatcher ? Contopus cooperi n 2
Hammond's Flycatcher ? Empidonax hammondii n 6
American Dusky Flycatcher ? Empidonax oberholseri n 1
Pacific-slope Flycatcher ? Empidonax difficilis ? n 10
Western Kingbird ? Tyrannus verticalis n 11
Eastern Kingbird ? Tyrannus tyrannus n 1
Cassin's Vireo ? Vireo cassinii ? n 4
Hutton's Vireo ? Vireo huttoni ? n 3
Warbling Vireo ? Vireo gilvus ? n 3
Steller's Jay ? Cyanocitta stelleri ? n 14
American Crow ? Corvus brachyrhynchos ? n 24
Northern Raven ? Corvus corax ? n 8
Northern Rough-winged Swallow ? Stelgidopteryx serripennis ? n 18
Tree Swallow ? Tachycineta bicolor n 2
Violet-green Swallow ? Tachycineta thalassina ? n 30
Barn Swallow ? Hirundo rustica ? n 7
Black-capped Chickadee ? Poecile atricapillus ? n 23
Chestnut-backed Chickadee ? Poecile rufescens ? n 6
Red-breasted Nuthatch ? Sitta canadensis n 3
Brown Creeper ? Certhia americana ? n 1
Pacific Wren ? Troglodytes troglodytes ? n 10
American Dipper ? Cinclus mexicanus ? n 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet ? Regulus satrapa ? n 3
Swainson's Thrush ? Catharus ustulatus ? n 5
American Robin ? Turdus migratorius ? n 42
Varied Thrush ? Ixoreus naevius ? n 5
Common Starling ? Sturnus vulgaris (introduced) n 9
American Pipit ? Anthus rubescens ? n 4
Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata ? n 9
Nashville Warbler ? Vermivora ruficapilla ? n 1
American Yellow Warbler ? Dendroica petechia ? n 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler ? Dendroica coronata ? n 72
Black-throated Grey Warbler ? Dendroica nigrescens ? n 18
Townsend's Warbler ? Dendroica townsendi n 1
MacGillivray's Warbler ? Oporornis tolmiei ? n 3
Common Yellowthroat ? Geothlypis trichas ? n 9
Wilson's Warbler ? Wilsonia pusilla ? n 5
Western Tanager ? Piranga ludoviciana ? n 34
Spotted Towhee ? Pipilo maculatus ? n 13
Chipping Sparrow ? Spizella passerina ? n 3
Savannah Sparrow ? Passerculus sandwichensis ? n 45
Song Sparrow ? Melospiza melodia ? n 16
White-crowned Sparrow ? Zonotrichia leucophrys ? n 23
Golden-crowned Sparrow ? Zonotrichia atricapilla n 3
Dark-eyed Junco ? Junco hyemalis ? n 4
Black-headed Grosbeak ? Pheucticus melanocephalus ? n 14
Lazuli Bunting ? Passerina amoena n 3
Red-winged Blackbird ? Agelaius phoeniceus ? n 7
Western Meadowlark ? Sturnella neglecta ? n 2
Brewer's Blackbird ? Euphagus cyanocephalus n 4
Brown-headed Cowbird ? Molothrus ater ? n 56
Purple Finch ? Carpodacus purpureus ? n 4
House Finch ? Carpodacus mexicanus ? n 6
Pine Siskin ? Carduelis pinus ? n 5
Lesser Goldfinch ? Carduelis psaltria ? n 38
Evening Grosbeak ? Coccothraustes vespertinus ? n 57
? ?
77
Respectively,

Charlie Desilets
Mukilteo