Hi Tweets

With great weather, 11 Eastside Auduboners roamed around Whidbey Island yesterday. We started with 3 MARBLED MURRELETs off the Mukilteo ferry dock, really nice to see. Pretty quiet on the ferry ride over with a couple of GREAT BLUE HERONs near Clinton, some PIGEON GUILLEMOTs and ROCK PIGEONs at the dock.

Our first stop was near the intersection of Campbell and Cultus Bay Roads. A house with a bunch of feeders was really jumping. We saw BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD (a bit of a surprise), WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, HOUSE FINCH, PINE SISKIN, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, SONG SPARROW, SPOTTED TOWHEE, NORTHERN FLICKER, female WESTERN TANAGER, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, AMERICAN ROBIN, DARK-EYED JUNCO, STELLER'S JAY, BARN SWALLOW, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, EUROPEAN STARLING. As we left a cooperative WILLOW FLYCATCHER perched on a blackberry twig.

Next we went around to Ewing Road. Three OSPREY were in one of the snags, and MALLARDs, PIED-BILLED GREBE, AMERICAN COOT, BARN SWALLOW, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, HOUSE FINCH, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, AMERICAN CROW, BROWN CREEPER, and NORTHERN FLICKER. CANADA GEESE were in the field just leaving the Ewing Road wetlands.

Deer Lagoon, accessed off of Sunlight Beach Road, was still mostly at low tide so didn't have many birds. We did see KILLDEER, GREAT BLUE HERONs, COOPER'S HAWK, BARN SWALLOW, HOUSE SPARROW, two EURASIAN COLLARD-DOVEs, some MOURNING DOVEs, GLAUCOUS-WINGED and RING-BILLED and CALIFORNIA GULLs and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. We went to the public access off of Lincoln Ave and saw OSPREY, BALD EAGLE, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, BONAPARTE'S, GLAUCOUS-WINGED and CALIFORNIA GULLs, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, KILLDEER, HOUSE SPARROW, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, and heard a VIRGINIA RAIL calling in the marsh. Double-Bluff gave us BALD EAGLE, OSPREY, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL. On the way out we stopped and got a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT to call.

A quick stop at Bush Point with a few PIGEON GUILLEMOTs and a couple of RHINOCEROS AUKLETs and another BONAPARTE'S GULL.

On to Crockett Lake. Several small flocks of shorebirds were present on the far side of the lake, most were not identifiable. But, a flock of WESTERN SANDPIPERs did fly over us. Both male and female NORTHERN HARRIERs were cruising the lake area, and a single male PURPLE MARTIN. Down at the ferry terminal two PELAGIC CORMORANTs were on the old platform as well a many PIGEON GUILLEMOTs. The jetty had a bunch of GLAUCOUS-WINGED, CALIFORNIA and HEERMANN'S GULLs, as well as one female HARLEQUIN DUCK.

Up to Fort Casey State Park and lunch - but first a walk around the picnic area. Pretty quiet, but we did pick up HAIRY and DOWNY WOODPECKERs, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, CALIFORNIA QUAIL, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, SONG SPARROW, PINE SISKIN and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET. Out at the lighthouse we scanned the Inlet and picked up many, many gulls (nothing new), PIGEON GUILLEMOTs and RHINOCEROS AUKLETs.

Penn Cove was remarkably free of birds. At Libby Beach we saw PIGEON GUILLEMOTs, three more female HARLEQUIN DUCKS, a WESTERN GREBE, a COMMON LOON and more gulls. Up at Hastie Lake Road access there were more PIGEON GUILLEMOTs, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTs and gulls. The overlook at Swantown yielded PIGEON GUILLEMOTs, SURF SCOTERs, RED-THROATED LOON and COMMON LOON, RED-NECKED GREBE, flyby RHINOCEROS AUKLETs and still more gulls. Over on Bos Lake there were some MALLARDS, three NORTHERN PINTAIL, a RUDDY DUCK, a GADWALL, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERs, KILLDEER, a few WESTERN SANDPIPERs, a DUNLIN and a great look at a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER.

The Oak Harbor Marina had its flock of BLACK TURNSTONES, although we had to look carefully for them on one of the distant floats. A couple of BELTED KINGFISHERs were present.

The lake at Dugualla Bay was mostly birdfree, but a BELTED KINGFISHER, PIED-BILLED GREBE and a NORTHERN SHOVELER. Ala Spit was at high tide and not much was around, but we did see a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, OSPREY, and three RIVER OTTERs. We finished up at Rosario Beach, lots of crowds around tide-pooling but there were four BLACK OYSTERCATCHERs out on the island.

Along the way we also saw RED-TAILED HAWK, SANDERLING.

It was a great day with perfect weather, excellent companions and 75 species of birds.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville WA
mail to bell asoc at iso media dot com