Subject: [Tweeters] Whimbrels on Camano - 5/12/12
Date: May 13 07:51:17 2012
From: Barbara Deihl - barbdeihl at comcast.net


Found about 400 Whimbrels whistling while they worked a field along Utsalady Rd. (south side), between Rekval Rd. and Moore Rd. last night at 8:15 - the 2 previous groups mentioned by Michael Willison, Doug Parrott and Rob Cash, probably combined by evening - I saw only about 6 flying overhead near the Norman Rd./Olsen Rd. field. I watched and Point&Shootedly-photographed the birds for a half hour until they lifted off for good and, in two separate groups, headed toward the west. At about 8:30 they lifted off, circled around and resumed feeding, after a bird of prey of some sort got them going. I'll upload a few photos as soon as I can and maybe I or one of you can tell which raptor caused them to flush by the silhouette speck in the photo! I scanned and re-scanned the filed of Whimbrels for a Long-billed Curlew, but was unable to find one.

Thanks so much to Rob, Doug and Michael (and Rick Taylor) for following these migrants and reporting their whereabouts. As a result, I spent a wonderful evening up in the Stanwood/Camano area. I finished the night off by stopping at Eide Rd. at 9:15 - missed the Wilson's Phalaropes (didn't know then to look for any) but did have a light-colored, hunting owl fly by me when I parked at the end-of-road 'lot' - I need to look at some videos of Barn Owls and Short-eared Owls in flight at dusk to determine which I saw. Could SEOW still be in the area?

Now, off to those photos...


Barb Deihl

North Matthews Beach - NE Seattle

barbdeihl at comcast.net