Tweeters,

I also checked out the birds around Stanwood today, with somewhat similar
results to Michael.

At Eide Road in the late afternoon, I counted 10 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS (1
male and 9 females) and 6 WILSON'S PHALAROPES. I thought there were only 2
phalaropes at first, but after half an hour of scoping the small wetland, I
finally saw 6 phalaropes at once. I was hoping for a harrier to come by and
flush them out so I could count them more easily, but no harrier came by!

A bit farther down Eide Road were a few other shorebirds (2 GREATER
YELLOWLEGS, 8 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and 24 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS) and quite a
few ducks including a pair of BLUE-WINGED TEAL.

When I checked out the WHIMBREL flock on Utsalady Road, Camano Island, I
counted 360 birds-- the biggest bunch of Whimbrels I have ever seen!
However, there were certainly more than that, because some birds were flying
and landing out of sight, south of the road where the field drops off to the
south and where they could not be seen. I am quite prepared to believe
Michael's remarkable estimate of 500 Whimbrels.

Spring migration-- what would birding be like without it??

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net




-----Original Message-----
From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Michael
Willison
Sent: May-14-12 6:30 PM
To: Posting to Tweeters
Subject: [Tweeters] Stanwood area birds update 5/14



Tweeters,

The Whimbrel flock off of Norman Rd continued today. Over 200 present.
Late this afternoon I was on Camano Is. and found a conservative estimate of
500 Whimbrel foraging in the field just south of the airport on E. Utsalady
Rd!

The 7 Yellow-headed Blackbirds at Eide Rd. had morphed into 12 today and
there were still 4 Wilson's Phalarope present, as well as 2 more in town.



Michael Willison

Stanwood
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