Hi Tweeters

I was back up on the San Juans for the weekend. Overall the birding
was a lot of fun and the weather mostly cooperated - it still maybe
a bit early for some of the late arrivals, but there were a few new
birds around compared with my visit two weekends ago.

Highlights:

Lazuli Bunting - Dill Rd on Lopez Island (Saturday)- rare (code 5)
for SJ County

Rock Wren - South Beach on San Juan (Sunday) - Listed as 'annual'
(code 3) in SJ, because they used to breed there, but nowadays it is
pretty rare [has not been reported on the county yearlist for 5 years
and is not listed in ebird yet for the county]

Sora - calling at many flooded fields on Lopez & San Juan , and I
finally got a look at one of them on San Juan Valley Rd on Sunday.

Barn Owl - at sunset Saturday, along False Bay Rd [San Juan Island]

Semipalmated Plover - one at Fisherman Bay (Lopez) Saturday. That was
about my only shorebird for the weekend [ok, there were Killdeer
around, and Black Oystercatchers... and I heard some snipe]

Olive-sided Flycatchers were back in force on both Lopez (Iceberg
Point & somewhere else) and San Juan (4th of July Beach, English
Camp, Mt. Dallas, Egg Lake), but I couldn't find a Pewee anywhere, as
usual. Probably too early, as well, for my hopes of a Willow
Flycatcher.

Western Tanagers & Black-headed Grosbeaks were back in appropriate
habitat, as were Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Orange-crowned Warblers,
Yellow Warblers, Townsend's Warblers, Common Yellowthroats & Wilson's
Warblers. Numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers were way down from 2
weeks ago, and I still couldn't find Black-throated Gray Warblers
anywhere, despite lots of great habitat.


On the water, I saw Rhino Auklets in small groups regularly, and in
large masses at Cattle Point (100+ easily). Cattle Point and Iceberg
Point both also had many Common Murre, and Saturday at Iceberg Point,
a pair of Marbled Murrelets were hanging out near the point. Pacific
Loon were present in good numbers as well.

At 4th of July Beach, 6 or so Long-tailed Ducks were hanging out with
the lingering Surf & White-winged Scoters.

Good weekend,

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA