Subject: [Tweeters] Sequim Snowy Owls have acquired their transparent molt,
Date: Nov 20 19:58:08 2011
From: Tim Brennan - tsbrennan at hotmail.com
...they have all departed the places they were reported yesterday (Marine Road, Three Crabs, Dungeness Spit). Randy Bjorklund and I scoured the area pretty well, including a walk out to the 2.5 mile mark on Dungeness Spit - we passed on walking all the way to the lighthouse in order to check spots in town a second time. Other birders may have made the walk all the way out, and it would be great to hear any reports from farther out on the spit. (well... as long as those reports make us feel good about not making the whole walk... break it to us gently if you found them out there, anyway.)
Great day of birding otherwise! The weather was cooperative, and if we included eachother's misses, I think we were at about 60 species for the day. Tons of ducks (including Green-winged Teal, Long-tailed Ducks, White-winged and Surf Scoters, Northern Pintail, Buffleheads, Harlequin Ducks, and a bazillion American Wigeon). We picked up sparrows all around Sequim, but all were seen at or near Dungeness NWR (Towhee, Junco, Song, Fox and Golden-crowned). Not great for alcids for us, with only Rhino Auklets in Clallam County, but we got three species of cormorant, as well as Common and Red-throated Loons. The Red-throated were one of the highlights of the trip, coming in close enough to the spit during our hike that I was expecting them to walk up to us on the sand. Fields in the area had Trumpeter Swans and Greater White-fronted Geese, and we ran into Ring-necked Pheasants on the way in and out of Dungeness NWR.
But we passed so many pieces of driftwood that were missing a Snowy Owl on top of them! It will be interesting to see what happens to the numbers of Snowies as the winter continues. I promise not to chase any more of them away for a bit, unless they wander into King County!
-Tim Brennan
Renton
www.39counties.blogspot.com