Well, I've been in the Port Townsend, Jefferson County, WA area for over a week now, having just moved from Naples, FL. I drove a 17' U-Haul truck 4100+ miles thru some amazing country. Unfortunately, much of the West, especially, Montana, Wyoming & Idaho was shrouded in haze and smoke from these wildfires that are plaguing these states. Anyway. I don't have internet access yet but I'm working on it. I'm using the wifi at the local library or McDonald's etc. until I do. I bird every day since I'm doing Bird-A-Day, having started that exercise January 1st back in Florida. I'm still going, not having run out of birds yet. I hope to make it through the end of the year. Anyway, I've seen a few nice birds up here in Jefferson County in the Uncas Valley near Discovery Bay. Yesterday, September 23rd, I had a Sandhill Crane riding a thermal over the valley as seen from Nighthawk Ridge, where I am currently staying. We get both resident subspecies and migratory subspecies of this bird in Florida. It's a code 4 bird for Jefferson County apparently. Other "good" birds (for me), since I haven't birded the Pacific Northwest in over 15 years were Three Band-tailed Pigeons, also seen on Nighthawk Ridge, Jefferson County on the 23rd; Barred Owl on the 22nd (same location); several Turkey Vultures (daily); Anna's Hummingbird on the 22nd; Gadwall at Kah Tai Lagoon in PT on the 21st; California Quail at the Carpenter Auto Center parking lot, 87 Dryke Rd., Sequim, Clallam County on the 19th; Peregrine Falcon seen perched on a fence at a water impoundment/sewage plant across from rest area on I-90 at MM243, Lincoln County as well as other "common" birds for most of you. Birding here is a really new experience for me and I feel like a novice birder at times. What fun!

Vincent Lucas
Port Townsend, Jefferson Co., WA
vplucas at comcast.net