Hello Tweeters,

I will be attending a conference in Seattle for work the last week of March this year and will have a few days to devote to birding. I was hoping to get a few responses off-list with advice on birding the area. I have never been to the West coast but have done some western birding over the last few years (AZ and UT). I am mostly interested in Alcids, ducks, shorebirds, and owls but also specialty landbirds as well.

I was hoping that a pelagic would be available this time of year but so far I have not found one. Any suggestions in this area would be most appreciated. Also, how likely is it to see marine mammals from shore or from the ferries this time of year.

I am also interested in places with public feeder setups for the easy feeder birds that would be lifers as well as hummingbird feeder setups open to the public in the Seattle area. I have read that a number of the parks in Seattle can be quite good for birding and there are lot of reports from Bainbridge Island and from the ferry.

I will be arriving in Seattle on Sat. the 24th and will likely have the afternoon to bird somewhere. I also have all day Sunday which I slated as a day-trip from Seattle, not sure where yet, possibly Nisqually NWR. Monday through Thursday I have to work but should have a couple of mornings / afternoons to go birding for an hour or two near downtown Seattle. I will have a rental car. I was then planning on going to the Olympic Peninsula and ocean for Friday and Saturday but am not sure where exactly. Any suggestions here would also be helpful. I fly out Sunday morning from Seattle. Any affordable lodging recommendations on the peninsula would also be welcome.

I looked at ebird and got a list of species reported during March for the last few years. The species listed below are some of the ones I would love to see. The ones with an * are species I am very interested in and the ones with an L next to them would be lifers so, clearly priorities. I am also interested in places that provide good photos ops for more common species. Of course anything even more rare that what's listed would be fine too but I will be happy to just bird and see what I see.

Thanks very much in advance,

Frank Marenghi
Annapolis, MD



Greater White-fronted Goose*
Cackling Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Eurasian Wigeon*
Cinnamon Teal*
King Eider*
Barrow's Goldeneye*
Mountain Quail L
California Quail L
Ruffed Grouse
Sooty Grouse L
Pacific Loon L
Yellow-billed Loon L
Eared Grebe*
Western Grebe*
Clark's Grebe*
Black-footed Albatross L
Northern Fulmar*
Mottled Petrel L
Sooty Shearwater*
Short-tailed Shearwater L
Manx Shearwater*
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel L
Leach's Storm-Petrel*
Brandt's Cormorant L
Pelagic Cormorant L
American Bittern
Northern Goshawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle*
Black Oystercatcher L
Black Turnstone L
Surfbird L
Rock Sandpiper L
Black-legged Kittiwake
Sabine's Gull L
Mew Gull L
Western Gull L
California Gull*
Thayer's Gull*
Glaucous-winged Gull L
Glaucous Gull *
Pomarine Jaeger
Common Murre
Thick-billed Murre
Pigeon Guillemot L
Marbled Murrelet L
Ancient Murrelet L
Cassin's Auklet L
Parakeet Auklet L
Rhinoceros Auklet L
Horned Puffin L
Tufted Puffin L
Band-tailed Pigeon*
Mitred Parakeet L
Western Screech-Owl L
Northern Pygmy-Owl L
Northern Saw-whet Owl*
Anna's Hummingbird*
Rufous Hummingbird*
Red-breasted Sapsucker L
Black Phoebe*
Say's Phoebe*
Northern Shrike*
Hutton's Vireo*
Gray Jay*
Steller's Jay*
Western Scrub-Jay*
Clark's Nutcracker*
Northwestern Crow L
Violet-green Swallow*
Mountain Chickadee*
Chestnut-backed Chickadee L
Bushtit
Bewick's Wren
Pacific Wren L
American Dipper*
Western Bluebird L
Mountain Bluebird*
Townsend's Solitaire*
Varied Thrush*
Orange-crowned Warbler*
Townsend's Warbler*
Spotted Towhee*
Lincoln's Sparrow*
Harris's Sparrow*
Golden-crowned Sparrow*
Western Meadowlark
Brewer's Blackbird*
Pine Grosbeak*
Purple Finch
Cassin's Finch*
Red Crossbill*
White-winged Crossbill*
Common Redpoll*
Pine Siskin
Evening Grosbeak*