Tweeters,

I apologize for this belated posting. With all of the tools for consuming eBird sightings, I forgot to post to tweeters.

On Sunday, Tina and I headed out to The Nature Conservancy's Port Susan Bay Preserve to follow up on an eBird report of a Gyrfalcon. Marv Breece was already there scoping the area when we arrived. We saw a PRAIRIE FALCON briefly in flight and Marv got his scope onto it when it perched on one of the pilings. I got a quick look at it on the piling through Marv's scope. It was gone by the time I got my scope set up. There was a Prairie Falcon in the same general area last winter.

We did not see a Gyr before we wimped out due to the cold.

If you go to look for the bird, please stay at the gate on the TNC preserve. They restrict walking on the dike during hunting season to allow the waterfowl to rest undisturbed.

On Norman Road we found two YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in with the mass of starlings and blackbirds at one of the dairy farms.

We also checked out some of the Snohomish County hotspots for Snowy Owls without success. We did have a good number of Lincoln's Sparrows at Eide Road.

In birding around home all of the small marshes, ponds, and detention ponds were frozen over. This forced large numbers of waterfowl onto the larger and deeper lakes. Silver Lake in south Everett and Martha Lake in Lynwood both held far more waterfowl than normal. Silver Lake in particular had a nice assortment of waterfowl including a dozen Canvasback.

Good birding!

Rick

Rick Taylor
Everett, WA