Tweeters: We still have one area report to receive, and one feeder report, but otherwise 53 observers covering the 15 territories of the Everett-Marysville CBC have now reported. Weather conditions were less than stellar--as at Sequim-Dungeness, our boat party had to cut back its route owing to wind, and field observers had a hard time with passerines, as many were hunkered down. Somehow, our kayaker stayed the course and whilejust finding 16 species, it was quality over quantity, just as last year. Inevitably there are a few misses, this year they were: Canvasback, White-winged Scoter, Spotted Sandpiper, Marbled Murrelet, Am. Pipit, Hermit Thrush, and Red Crossbill. We also get Gr. White-fr. Goose, Redhead, Black Scoter and Short-earedOwl some years, but not this one. W. Grebe, like Black Scoter,seems to have almost disappeared: Duane's boat had the solo5 this year. But there was plenty of upside this year as well. Rarities includedthe Taylor's four SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, which they alsophotographed, at north Everett, the best of 11 shorebird speciesfound. And though Priest Point would not yield Spotted Sand,Dan Olson's team picked up a GREATER YELLOWLEGS, thefirst in a long time for our CBC. And rounding out shorebirdhighlights, our kayaker Patty Barton found 6 WESTERNSANDPIPERS in a flock of Dunlin on her Jetty Island route. Maxine Reid had a solid day at Tulalip, including the CBC's sole BLACK TURNSTONE. 49 LEAST SANDPIPERS were cooperative at the Union Slough mudflat (created by the earlier dike-breaching) in the afternoon. Other "good" birds included 20 LAPLAND LONGSPURS seen andheard by the Wilds party near Arlington Airport in our n.e. section; this party also turned in the sole AM. BITTERN. A SNOWY OWL returned to Jetty Island; in our area, there was a single COM. REDPOLL in a siskin flock, and a female COM.YELLOWTHROAT was seen at point-blank range right at theSpencer Island bridge, then disappeared underneath it. ASWAMP SPARROW was in the sparrow horde (7 species thisyear) at Biringer Farm. While numbers of regular species were average to low overall, some were impressively high. Among thisgroup were N. PINTAIL (nearly 8000), CACKLING GOOSE(well into triple figures for the first time), SORA (3, ties record), RED-THROATED LOON, BONAPARTE'S GULL andRHINOCEROUS AUKLET. As elsewhere in the region,EUR. COLLARED-DOVE and ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDcontinue their march onward to greater abundance,the dove hitting double-figures after having only shownup for the first time on our CBC in Dec. 2011. Finally, Susie Schaefer alerted me to a pair of count-weekW. SCRUB-JAYS right in Marysville, at a residence nearthe post office. I received photos as well, and Marysvillehas now had a couple near-misses getting the specieson count day. Our total species count is 130, just one down from ourfive-year average, although we might see one or twomore yet from the remaining reports. A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all--
Scott AtkinsonLake Stevensmail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com