Subject: [Tweeters] Marysville Christmas Eve report: W. SCRUB-JAY,
Date: Dec 24 19:08:01 2012
From: Scott Atkinson - scottratkinson at hotmail.com






Tweeters: From about 12:15 to 3:30 pm today we were running around the southern, older parts of Marysville and the birding was surprisingly good. I had 33 species and the clear highlight was the two W. SCRUB-JAYS that were pretty much heardand seen on arrival at the site near the Marysville post office. The spot is between 9th and 10th Streets and Columbia Avenue, just south of the batting cage. Just east of Columbia, there is an alley that allowed great views of bothbirds, which were also quite loud and active. The other hot bird was a (SLATE-COLORED) FOX SPARROW that turned up in Northpointe Park, accessed via 73rd Pl NE,near the easternmost end of Grove on the west-facing slopes below Whiskey Ridge. There were quite a numberof (SOOTY) FOX SPARROWS here, when this bird hoppedup on a weeping-willow branch--about as bright a rustas I've ever seen on a Fox Sparrow, especially the breastspotting and tail. There are three retention ponds in closeproximity here. Other big news: a BURROWING OWL was photographed today by Kathy Smith in a closed area of the Port of Everett. Great bird for Snohomish County! Complete list for Marysville today, 12:15-3:30 pm(includes post office area, Northpointe Park and neighborhood near Grove x 67th Ave, also 88thand State Street vicinity, near Grove St. park and ride): Mallard 4Ring-necked Duck 5Red-tailed Hawk 1Bald Eagle 2aGW Gull 8GW x W. Gull 1Rock Pigeon 19Hairy Woodpecker 1Downy Woodpecker 1N. (Red-sh) Flicker 5Pileated Woodpecker 1crow 84Com. Raven 2 (not common in town)W. SCRUB-JAY 2Steller's Jay 4Black-capped Chickadee 4Chestnut-backed Chickadee 1Bushtit 3Brown Creeper 1Pacific Wren 6Bewick's Wren 3Golden-crowned Kinglet 3Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5Am. Robin 33Varied Thrush 6Eur. Starling 58Townsend's Warbler 1Spotted Towhee 7(Sooty) Fox Sparrow 15(SLATE-COL) FOX SPARROW 1Song Sparrow 9Lincoln's Sparrow 1DE (Oregon) Junco 8Brewer's Blackbird 1House Finch 3Red Crossbill 3 House Sparrow 25 TOTAL, 35 SPECIES MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! Scott AtkinsonLake Stevensmail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com