Hi Tweets

A Seattle Audubon group spent the day on the Samish, Skagit and Stillaguamish flats today. We started out under cloudy and somewhat rainy skies. As we moved north the rain increased and the wind picked up north of Everett, but by the time we got to the Mt Vernon area it was only sprinkling.

We got nice looks at TRUMPETER SWANs outside of Mt. Vernon, then pushed on to Chuckanut Drive. We got still nicer looks at Trumpeters on Cook Rd. and worked our way north on side roads. Along the way we saw BALD EAGLE, RED-TAILED HAWK, AMERICAN CROW, GLAUCOUS-WINGED, MEW, RING-BILLED GULLs. Back on Chuckanut north of Bow we saw GREAT BLUE HERON, AMERICAN KESTREL, MALLARD, AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN SHOVELER, NORTHERN PINTAIL, GADWALL, EUROPEAN STARLING, MEW GULL, GREAT BLUE HERON. In Blanchard we found BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE, STELLER'S JAY, HOUSE SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED, FOX, SONG and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWs, SPOTTED TOWHEE, EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE and a NORTHERN HARRIER.

In Edison there were more Eurasian Collared-Doves, and behind the Farm-to-Market Bakery (yum) there were GREEN-WINGED TEAL and a GREAT BLUE HERON. ON Bayview Edison Rd there was a flooded field with several hundred NORTHERN PINTAIL and MALLARD. On the route over to the West 90 there must have been 20+ NORTHERN HARRIERs (male, female and juvenile). At the West 90 it rained a bit harder and the wind blew, but we saw more Harriers. We pushed on to Wharf Rd on Samish Island and in spite of the wind on Samish Bay saw BUFFLEHEAD, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, PACIFIC LOON, HORNED GREBE, LONG-TAILED DUCK, BRANT, SURF SCOTER, DOUBLE-CRESTED and PELAGIC CORMORANT, and in the bushes CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, GOLDENCROWNED KINGLET.

Just north of the Nature Conservancy leased Farm property on Bayview Edison Rd there was a very nice perched ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. Lots more NORTHERN HARRIERs were working over the fields. The day was noticeable in the relative lack of Red-tailed Hawks and Bald Eagles - this area would normally turn up 30-40 of each and we probably only saw 6.

At Bayview State Park we scoped out GREATER and LESSER SCAUP, six male REDHEADs and one female. Also a COMMON LOON, and AMERICAN WIGEON.

Along Dodge Valley Rd. we found 6 TUNDRA SWANs. At the Skagit Game Range we managed to see a pair of BELTED KINGFISHERs, but that was all.

We went down to Thomle Rd. and went up on the dike near the old metal barn. It was raining by now, but we did see 5 SNOWY OWLs - three along a ditch, one by itself further north in the field and one on the dike. A flock of DUNLIN was working a flooded field to the northwest. Way across the field in the top of a bare tree there was a NORTHERN SHRIKE. Down on Boe Road there were about 7000 SNOW GEESE - great to hear their voices.

At Valentine Ranch (on Valentine Rd) we saw DOWNY WOODPECKER, RED CROSSBILL, SONG SPARROW, FOX SPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCO, STELLER'S JAY,

Else where we saw: BONAPARTE'S GULL, ROCK PIGEON, COMMON RAVEN, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BROWN CREEPER, AMERICAN ROBIN, SPOTTED TOWHEE, RED-WINGED and BREWER'S BLACKBIRDs.

We mostly had a rainfree and wind free day, but it sure picked up on the way back down to Seattle.

An excellent day with good folks and we wound up with 59 species on a dreary November day.

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