Hi Tweets

Several of us from Eastside Audubon took a trip today to the Samish/Skagit/Stillaguamish Flats. The day started out overcast, quickly turned to rain, then harder rain with embedded snow. It did not look good. But, a ways north of Everett the rain stopped and we had decent weather (with no wind) the rest of the day, with even some sun in the middle of the day.

The first part of the day we only saw AMERICAN CROW, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL and EUROPEAN STARLING. When we came down the hill into the Skagit Valley we started to pick up swans - TRUMPETER SWANs. As we turned onto Chuckanut Drive we quickly had a couple of RED-TAILED HAWKs (one rufous morph). More scattered swans, but only Trumpeter. As we drove the roads of the Samish Flats we picked up more Red-tailed Hawks, more Glaucous-winged Gulls and finally an AMERICAN ROBIN.

In Bow at a feeder we saw BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, DARK-EYED JUNCO, NORTHERN FLICKER (Red-shafted race), SONG SPARROW. Several more Red-tailed Hawks and several BALD EAGLES (both adults and immatures). Back along Chuckanut Drive one of the flooded fields yielded MALLARDs, NORTHERN PINTAILs, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, and lots of AMERICAN WIGEON. Mixed in with the wigeon was one EURASIAN WIGEON. The Blanchard area had BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE and more Northern Pintail. At the house with the feeders there was a EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, MOURNING DOVE, HOUSE SPARROWS, SPOTTED TOWEE, SONG SPARROW, GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.

As we entered Edison a MERLIN was perched nicely atop the conifer that if frequently prefers. After a brief (mandatory) stop at Farm to Market Bakery in Edison we saw many GREEN-WINGED TEAL on the the slough. Taking Bayview - Edison Rd. we added several more RED-TAILED HAWKs, more BALD EAGLEs and many NORTHERN HARRIERs (male, female and immature). At the West 90 we turned up still more RED-TAILED HAWKs, NORTHERN HARRIERs, MEW GULLs and a single RING-BILLED GULL, several hundred DUNLIN, a single SHORT-EARED OWL working the fields, and a big surprise - a WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

The bay south of Samish Island was covered in ducks - all extremely backlit and unidentifiable. Over by Blau Oyster there were more SONG and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWs. At Wharf Road the Samish Bay turned up BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, RED-NECKED and HORNED GREBEs, COMMON LOON, LONG-TAILED DUCK, BRANT, SURF SCOTER, and DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT. A NORTHERN SHRIKE was perched behind us in the dead top of a tree.

As we approached the turn from Samish Island Rd to Bayview-Edison road a PEREGRINE FALCON wheeled over. Down the road were two more BALD EAGLEs and a nice ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.

Sullivan Road showed us a beautiful NORTHERN ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, several GREAT BLUE HERONs, a flooded field full of about 5000 DUNLIN, and an adult NORTHERN SHRIKE. We stopped at the Brazeale Center for lunch and a good visit with folks from North Cascades Audubon.

As we progressed down to the Skagit Flats there were more hawks, eagles and harriers. As we turned east from LaConner, the ditch had several HOODED MERGANSERs. More swans were in the field along Dodge Valley Road. We made a visit to Valentine Ranch on Valentine Road. There we saw DARK-EYED JUNCO, WHITE-CROWNED and GOLDEN-CROWNED and SONG SPARROWs, NORTHERN FLICKER, DOWNY WOODPECKER, BLACK-CAPPED and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH and a nice flock of RED CROSSBILLs. Back on Dodge Valley Road another NORTHERN SHRIKE was perched in a tree top.

Along Maupin Road the fields were loaded with swans - many TUNDRA and TRUMPETER. The Skagit Game Range had SPOTTED TOWHEE, COOPER'S HAWK and two more RED-TAILED HAWKs. We stopped in Stanwood and scanned the sewage ponds - this turned up many, many NORTHERN SHOVELERs, HOODED MERGANSERs, MALLARDs, RING-NECKED DUCKs, GREATER and LESSER SCAUP, RUDDY DUCK, PIED-BILLED GREBE and an AMERICAN COOT. On the way down to Thomle Road a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK zoomed over the road - and from the dike behind the metal barn we could see three SNOWY OWLs , one in the field, one on a pole and one on the dike across the field. On Boe Road, there were several thousand SNOW GEESE.

At various other spots during the day we saw: CANADA GOOSE (a single bird), RED-THROATED LOON, WILSON'S SNIPE, CALIFORNIA and THAYER'S GULLs, ROCK PIGEON, BELTED KINGFISHER, STELLER'S JAY, COMMON RAVEN, RED-WINGED and BREWER'S BLACKBIRDs, PURPLE and HOUSE FINCH.

An excellent day, with 73 species.

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