Subject: [Tweeters] SAS Whidbey trip 1 May 2012
Date: May 2 10:44:13 2012
From: B&PBell - bellasoc at isomedia.com


Hi Tweets

Yesterday, a group from Seattle Audubon took a trip to Whidbey Island. The day started out looking ominous with hard rain going up I-5. Fortunately it quit north of the Stanwood area. Our first stop was at the feeders at the house on Valentine Road where we saw GREAT BLUE HERON (overhead), MOURNING DOVE, RUFOUS and ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDs, DOWNY WOODPECKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, AMERICAN ROBIN, SPOTTED TOWHEE, SONG SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCO, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, PURPLE FINCH, HOUSE FINCH, PINE SISKIN, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, EVENING GROSBEAK and HOUSE SPARROW. A very nice start to the day.

As we progressed toward Whidbey we picked up MALLARD. Our next stop was at Rosario Beach with BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, and CANADA GOOSE. Down the road in Deception Pass State Park we had good activity on Cranberry Lake with BARN, CLIFF, VIOLET-GREEN and TREE SWALLOW. RED-BREASTED MERGANSER were in the surf just offshore. HOODED MERGANSERs were on the lake. Coming out of the park we crossed to Cornet Bay and picked up BUFFLEHEAD, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT and BALD EAGLE.

We stopped by Ala Spit County Park and saw another BALD EAGLE, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, COMMON LOON, PIGEON GUILLEMOT, CASPIAN TERN, and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL. At a stop by Duagualla Bay we had a nice tight group of foraging DUNLIN, WESTERN SANDPIPERs who sprang into the air for us and wheeled about for a bit. On the lake there were MALLARD, HOODED MERGANSER, and RING-NECKED DUCKs.

The Oak Bay Marina was uncharacteristically devoid of birds, so we pushed on down to Joseph Whidbey State Park and saw WHITE-CROWNED and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWs, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, RED-NECKED GREBE, COMMON LOON, PIGEON GUILLEMOT, SURF and WHITE-WINGED SCOTER. At Bos Lake there were GREATER and LESSER SCAUP, NORTHERN SHOVELER, MALLARD. Scanning the channel across the street we saw more SURF SCOTER, PIGEON GUILLEMOT, and a distant LONG-TAILED DUCK.

The Hasty Lake Dr. access yielded BUFFLEHEAD, SURF SCOTER and more PIGEON GUILLEMOT. Libby Beach had a nice pair of fairly close HARLEQUIN DUCKs.

Kennedy Lagoon gave us COMMON MERGANSER, MALLARD. We stopped where we could scan the Mussell platforms and saw some SURF SCOTERs around the platforms. Across the street were a pair of AMERICAN GOLDFINCH and a EURASIAN COLLARD-DOVE. Passing the fields at Fort Casey a large group of gulls had GLAUCOUS-WINGED, MEW, RING-BILLED and CALIFORNIA. We stopped in Fort Casey and the forest gave us HOUSE, BEWICK'S and PACIFIC WRENs, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, SPOTTED TOWHEE, WHITE-CROWNED and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWs. At the ferry terminal the old platform had it usual complement of DOUBLE-CRESTED and PELAGIC CORMORANTs and PIGEON GUILLEMOTs. A single female HARLEQUIN DUCK was asleep on the rock jetty. In Crockett Lake there were NORTHERN SHOVELER, NORTHERN PINTAIL, MALLARD and GREEN-WINGED TEAL. A few DUNLIN and WESTERN SANDPIPERs were present. Some SAVANNAH SPARROWs moved thru the grass and two NORTHERN HARRIERs flew by. A couple of MARSH WRENs were in the cattails.

A quick stop at Bush Point yielded a couple of PIGEON GUILLEMOTs, a couple of RHINOCEROS AUKLETs and a distant BLACK SCOTER. Earth Sanctuary had HOODED MERGANSER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, BARN, VIOLET-GREEN, TREE and NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWs. Down by Deer Lagoon we pulled out a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and had GADWALL, MALLARD and GREEN-WINGED TEAL on the water. At the Sunlight Beach part of Deer Lagoon we added lots of DUNLIN, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, LEAST SANDPIPER, WHIMBREL (thanks Marv and Steve), BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER, MALLARD, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, GADWALL and AMERICAN WIGEON.

On the ferry ride back to Mukilteo there were SURF SCOTER and a single BRANDT'S CORMORANT.

Along the way we added CALIFORNIA QUAIL, OSPREY, RED-TAILED HAWK, ROCK PIGEON, AMERICAN CROW, EUROPEAN STARLING, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD.

It was a very nice day, the few brief showers obligingly stopped each time we wanted to get out of the cars. We wound up seeing 84 species.

Good Birding,

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