Subject: [Tweeters] a week's difference
Date: Oct 1 08:02:37 2013
From: Jon Purnell and Sherrie Rogers - jonnsher at wavecable.com


Have been reading with interest the posts about the Skagit and Eide, Boe and
Thomle Roads. It's amazing the difference a week makes. We took a short
trip and headed there on the 22nd and came back home on the 26th.

( We looked for the brown booby around the Edmonds area but couldn't fine
it. Ran into a couple looking too and they hadn't seen it either said
everything was pretty quiet where they had been.) on the way to Skagit it
changed from dark gray clouds to downpour. It was pouring most of the time
we were there, but we seemed to manage a few trips between raindrops. There
was not one snow goose to be found. The Canada geese were all flying in, in
groups of 20-30. We saw a couple of Greater Yellowlegs and with hunters by
the ponds only a few shovelers and mallards.



We saw House Finches, Yellow Rumped Warblers, Chestnut Backed Chickadees and
Robins along the dike at Eide, and a Merlin, two Red tailed Hawks, a male
Kestral, and two female Harriers out on the flats and Pipits and Kildeers in
the plowed fields.



We went to Reifel in BC and while it was very quiet there too, we did get to
see a mix of least 75-100 Yellowleg-

mostly Greaters and about the same number of Long Billed Dowitchers on the
ponds and at the tower. Plus there were reports of a Sharp tailed Sandpiper
which we got great long looks at. We had never seen that many yellow legs
or Dowitchers all at one time which was really awesome. We also saw a few
Mallards, Pintails Gadwalls and Chickadees..even the resident Sandhill
Cranes were off foraging elsewhere. It was a wet weekend but there always
seems to be something to see somewhere and I haven't melted yet ;--)



Sunday at home the sun sorta came out so while we were out doing an errand
we went down to Ediz Hook.

Saw 4 Common Loons molting out of breeding plumage but still looking spiffy.
Saw 6-8 Harley's looking nice and crisp and spiffy in breeding plumage.
There were15-20 Black Bellied Plovers and 25-30 Sanderlings along the shore
an hour after high tide.the first we've seen of them so far this year.
Heerman's gulls were on the log booms in impressive numbers.if one has to
have a favorite gull.I think that they are mine.because they are so easy to
identify ;--)



Birding in the rain is better than no birding at all.

Sherrie and Jon

Jonnsheratwavecabledotcom