Hello Tweets,
I had nothing on my plate today so I decided to make an attempt to see
a few shorebird species in Snohomish County. I started off in Everett
around 9am, a few hours after low tide. The water was way out along W.
Marine View Drive and a lot of scoping produced many birds but no
shorebirds other than KILLDEER. Birds seen included CALIFORNIA,
GLAUCUS-WINGED, AND RING-BILLED GULLS, a very vocal PURPLE MARTIN,
BELTED KINGFISHER, and a large group of either RED-BREASTED or COMMON
MERGANSER but their constant diving and long distance made certain ID
impossible.

I caught the first passenger ferry over to Jetty Island (9:45 am,
contrary to the 10am they cite on the webpage). I headed straight to
the lagoon on the north end of the island and was initially
disappointed to find completely barren mudflats awaiting me. I moved
north and finally encountered a group of 3 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS
feeding in shallow water. While looking at the Dowitchers a mixed
group of SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS and WESTERN SANDPIPERS landed around me
and gave great looks before moving on. I moved out to the sand flats
exposed by the low tide and found a large group of mostly WESTERN
SANDPIPERS with some LEAST SANDPIPERS mixed in. I had hopes of seeing
some Semipalmated Sandpipers, but I couldn't confirm any in the group.
Eventually the large group of peeps all moved in to the previously
abandoned lagoon and it was positively crawling with birds when I
left.

With the tide slowly coming in I headed north to Stanwood. I had some
time before high-tide and decided to figure out where the Big Ditch
is, since I never made it there over the winter. It was pretty quiet
but I did get a nice flyover by an AMERICAN BITTERN as well as sitings
of a couple GREAT-BLUE HERONS and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.

As high tide approached I headed to Eide road where several birders
have been having good shorebird numbers at the ponds during high tide.
I encountered another birder who was leaving as I arrived and he gave
me good directions to where he'd seen some YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS. I
made a long loop of the fields finding 4 GREATER YELLOWLEGS and
several groups of peeps that appeared to be all WESTERN SANDPIPERS. I
also found 1 YELLOW-HEADED blackbird which was lifer for
me.Additionally there was a juvenile RED-TAILED HAWK, 2 BALD EAGLES
and a NORTHERN HARRIER.

I drove down Thomle Road as well and had a MOURNING DOVE and a small
raptor that wouldn't let me get close enough for a confirmed ID but
was likely a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. EURASIAN-COLLARED DOVES were also
seen at various times in the Stanwood area.

All and all, not the day I'd hoped for (Red-necked Phalarope,
Long-Billed Dowitcher, and Semipalmated Sandpiper have all been seen
recently and would be life birds for me), but still a good day
nonetheless.

Josh Adams
Lynnwood, WA