Tweeters:

Seeking a party leader to cover Everett STP, the heart of Area 11 of the Everett-Marysville CBC,
this coming December 17. Bill Davey, a longtime birder and the scribe for the territory, will help
as he has done this area with Mary Teesdale for a number of years. This is a prime area and
is critical to the success of the CBC as a whole.

The areas to be covered include:

Spencer I. (central only)
Everett STP
Aeration ponds south of main ponds
Snohomish R below I-5 (if time allows)
Smith Island (west of 528, includes productive Weyerhauser Pond)

And as time allows, east end of 12th Street SE, Biringer Farm, Union Bay Estuary along I-5.

While we need a count leader, Bill knows the way the area has been covered in the past and can
really help there. We will also be contacting the PUD to collect access into the ponds. By the way,
it seems there is a brand-new access along the east side of the STP.

Birds of note from past CBCs in this area (not in taxonomic order), almost too long to list:

Am Bittern (Spencer)
Eared Grebe (Everett STP)
Redhead (Everett STP and Weyerhauser Pond)
huge numbers of dabbling ducks, as at present
Cinnamon & BW Teal (especially Cinnamon on STP or nearby)
Sora (Smith I. ditches, end of 12th Street SE, near Spencer I)
Least Sand (Smith I)
LB Dowitcher (Spencer I)
massive gull counts at aeration ponds, and shot at rarity like Slaty-backed,
several of the less-commons possible there too (Calif, Herring, Bony, etc)
Horned Lark (Smith I)
swallows (!, we have records of Barn and Tree)
Com Yellowthroat (edge of Spencer)
rare sparrows (Swamp and White-throat most likely but tough)

These are just some of the birds reported over the years from this prime territory. This
is mostly a non-passerine beat, but there are brushy and marshy areas all along the
route with sparrows.

We also seek observers for Area 1 (Goodwin & Shoecraft Lakes, most of Kayak Pt
State Park, several small beach accesses, very extensive upland forests, several
small lakes--extensive territory). We may have 2-3 observers to help you there.

Please let me know if either of these holds interest.

Best

Scott Atkinson
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com