Dear Tweeters,

Today (21 August 2014) was a good birding day in Skagit County. I managed to find 14 species of shorebirds, plus lots of other species. Here are some highlights.

Green Heron: 1 juvenile at Channel Drive.

Goldeneye sp: one female-type at Hayton Preserve. It looked to me like a Common, which is very unlikely. Then again, Barrow's isn't all that likely in saltwater in August, either.?I took some monstrously bad photos. If I can reawaken my Flickr account, I will put the pictures there.

Peregrine Falcons:?they annoyed me?at the West Ninety, at Channel Drive, and at the Game Range. That's because there were so many shorebirds to watch, but the falcons kept the shorebirds nervous all day.

American Kestrel: one female at Jensen Access, not a place I have seen them often.

Semipalmated Plover: 23 at the West Ninety.

Baird's Sandpiper: two at the West Ninety, three at Channel Drive.

Semipalmated Sandpiper: two at the West Ninety.

Red-necked Phalarope: eight at Channel Drive.

Black Turnstone: an out-of-habitat juvenile?was foraging alone?on the mudflats at the West Ninety, keeping away from a huge flock of peeps.

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch