Tweeters,



Spent several hours this afternoon birding the Skagit Slough Wildlife Area
off of Wiley Road on Fir Island. I had a nice assortment of 51 species.

The highlight of my day was on the way home where I stopped in Milltown off
of Old Pioneer Highway and had a BLACK-THROATED SPARROW adult male feeding
and occasionally singing. Thanks Gary for posting this earlier for me. The
bird was observed from close range from about 640pm to 745pm feeding on the
road in the gravel and under the gate at the end of the dirt road that is
across from "Milltown". This is approx. 2.25 miles south of Conway, WA.
Turn west on the dirt road and go up and over the tracks, maybe a 100 feet,
then the road turns north and goes about 1/10th of a mile to a gate. This
is where the bird was still when I left. I sprinkled some sunflower seeds
under the gate, don't know if BTSP eats them or not, but it may like them.
The BTSP has lost all of its tail feathers so may not be in much of a
migratory state at this point. I forgot my camera at home but convinced my
wife to bring it out to me, so do have some decent digiscopes.



Other species of interest from my Skagit Slough stop were:

Olive-sided Flycatcher

W. W. Pewee

Wood Duck (with young)

American Bittern

Greater Yellowlegs

Caspian Tern

Swainson's Thrush (saw and heard at least 50!)



Michael Willison

Stanwood