Dear Tweeters,
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Today, 9 September 2012, a dark-looking Peregrine flew up at an Osprey that was carrying a fish, at the Fir Island Game Range. A two- or three-minute encounter followed. The Peregrine kept chasing after the Osprey, which called repeatedly, but never let go the fish. During this conflict, besides the Osprey calls, I kept hearing an odd, low-pitched, grunting call. I could never tell where this call was coming from. As a second Osprey approached, also calling, the Peregrine gave up, choosing instead to terrify a Belted Kingfisher. Last I saw of the Ospreys, they were headed west, calling. I don't think I've ever seen a Peregrine chasing an Osprey before, but I also think that, with enough time watching Peregrines, one could probably?observe them chasing just about anything, from ladybird beetles to Lear jets.
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Today I also noted two species of winter birds for the first of the season. At Lyman was a Golden-crowned Sparrow; at DeBay's Slough were three Ring-necked Ducks.
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I was sorry to see that, at DeBay's Slough, almost all the brush had been cleared from the old home site. However, as I walked into the newly cleared area, a Great Horned Owl shook its feathers and peered down at me, so it wasn't all bad news.
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Shorebirding was pretty good today. At Lyman were some?Killdeer, a Semipalmated Plover, two Wilson's Snipe, a Greater Yellowlegs, a Spotted Sandpiper, two Least Sandpipers, two Baird's Sandpipers, and 11 Pectoral Sandpipers.
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At the Game Range were some Long- and Short-billed Dowitchers, both Yellowlegs, and a Solitary Sandpiper.
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At Samish Island Public Beach, about 120 Western Sandpipers came very close to me, foraging at my feet at high tide. Five Bonaparte's Gulls were offshore, along with a few Red-necked Grebes.
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Yours truly,
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Gary Bletsch

Near Lyman, Washington (Skagit County), USA

garybletsch at yahoo.com

"Nun," sagte ich, "wenn ich ein Taugenichts bin, so ist's gut, so will ich in die Welt gehen, und mein Glueck machen." Und eigentlich war mir das recht lieb, denn es war mir kurz vorher selber eingefallen, auf Reisen zu gehen, da ich die Goldammer, welche im Herbst und Winter immer betruebt an unserm Fenster sang: "Bauer, miet' mich, Bauer, miet' mich!" nun in der schoenen Fruehlingszeit wieder ganz stolz und lustig vom Baume rufen hoerte: "Bauer, behalt' deinen Dienst!"