Dear Tweeters,

Today, Ryan Merrill, Ryan Shaw, and Dan Waggoner (sp?) birded Skagit County, and I bumped into them a number of times as well. We also met up with Josh Parrott, and the Olivers as well, at a few spots. It was a good day, though very hot. I have not tallied up the species carefully, but I think I managed to find 100 or more species on a single day in September, something I'd not done before in Skagit. I am still waiting here at my house for some sort of owl to make some noise (I hope)!

Highlights included the following:


Bufflehead, one hen at Jensen Access;

Greater Scaup, two at Jensen;

Whimbrel, 18 at Jensen, must be the biggest fall flock I've seen in Skagit.

Semipalmated Sandpiper, one at Channel Drive...Oh, by the way--if you want to know the secret of how to find shorebirds at Channel Drive, here it is, courtesy of countless wasted trips to this spot. Go two hours after low tide. It takes that long for the ponds to drain, as some locals have recently told me. Lo, it works.

Baird's Sandpiper, 3 at Channel Drive.

Pectoral Sandpiper, several each at Channel Drive, the Game Range, and Jensen.

Sanderling, one with Westerns at Jensen.

Stilt Sandpiper, three at Channel Drive.

Willow Flycatcher, still singles hanging on at Corkindale, Lyman, and the Game Range.

American Dipper, one at Corkindale--cold weather, here we come!

Cassin's Vireo, two on the edge of the ballfield behind the Marblemount C of C.

Townsend's and Black-throated Grey Warbler--goodly numbers at Corkindale and Marblemount.

In the close-to-90-degree heat, I was too lazy to walk out to the camo blind mentioned in another birder's post--"too hot," a rare complaint hereabouts. I had been wondering when the waterthrush would return to the Game Range. Must get out there tomorrow....

Yours truly,


Gary Bletsch Near Lyman, Washington (Skagit County), USA garybletsch at yahoo.com Mentre che li occhi per la fronda verde
ficcava ?o s? come far suole
chi dietro a li uccellin sua vita perde, lo pi? che padre mi dicea: ?Figliuole,
vienne oramai, ch? ?l tempo che n?? imposto
pi? utilmente compartir si vuole?.