Tweeters, My husband and I wanted to see the Bald Eagles along the Skagit River yesterday along Highway 20 and decided to take advantage of rare calm day up north. I convinced him to stop at Eide Road near Stanwood (he's not a birder, but most men won't turn down a chance to view a bird of prey) to view the Snowy Owls seen at the end of the road. Just past the berms at the parking lot was a Short-eared Owl that flushed while walking. Two Snowy Owls were seen amongst the dead wood on the left (east) side of the walking path. On our way out, I noticed a small freshly dead Accipiter in the ditch. Could not tell the cause of death, but appeared to be a Sharp-shinned Hawk. On our drive out, we observed a Kestrel on the wire at the beginning of Eide Road. We drove up to Highway 20 and stopped occasionally to park along the river to view the Bald Eagles. In all, we counted 17, with 2 being sub-adults. Not the huge numbers we'd hoped for, but next time we'll do a rafting trip instead. At nearly dusk, between mileposts 110 and 111, there were 3 Sooty Grouse in the road. I stopped the car while one walked off and the other 2 flew off the highway. We turned around at Newhalem and headed back home at dark. Beautiful day! Cheers, Amy SchillingerRenton, WAschillingera at hotmail.com