Subject: [Tweeters] Blaine, Semihamoo, Birch Bay. Terrell Lake
Date: Dec 14 21:48:19 2014
From: Neil and Carleen Zimmerman - n3zims at comcast.net


Hello Tweeters,
My wife, Carleen and I led a Seattle field trip to the land of Joe. We started out at Blaine Marina. There was very little wind so the viewing was great. We had nice looks at Long-tailed Ducks, Common Loons, Goldeneyes, Scoters, Eared and Horned Grebes. The marina is always a good place to get close-up looks at the water birds. We actually heard one of the Long-tailed Ducks calling. We then went over to Semihamoo Spit. We stopped at the parking area on the left side and checked out the birds. It was scoter city. There were hundreds of scoters, Surf, White-winged and Black, close to shore. Also many more Common Loons and Buffleheads on the water. A walk across the road gave us looks at N Pintails, A Wigeons and Canada Geese. Three Red-throated Loons swam by and gave a comparison with the numerous Common Loons.
We headed to the end of the spit and enjoyed the flat water which was perfect for viewing the water birds. Not many new species but the Long-tailed Ducks are always a hit.
We had lunch at the Semihamoo Marina Cafe. My group was teasing me for a late 7:00 am starting time and then a official lunch stop at a cafe. I guess I am getting old and soft. They weren't really complaining.
At stop at Terrell Lake gave us a few more species on on list. Most surprising to me were the four Mute Swans.
We decided to end our day looking for owls at the West 90. The weather was not our typical December weather. It was sunny and calm. We got to the W 90 about 3:30. As the sun was setting we watched at least a dozen Short-eared Owls and the same number of N Harriers hunting. There were a couple of Rough-legged and Red-tailed Hawks also present. We also saw one N Shrike. There were about 150 Red-winged Blackbirds swirling around to settle in the cattails for the night. The cloud of blackbirds, hunting owls and the fog forming made for an amazing evening.

A very good trip. The kind that reminds us why we like to lead trips.

Neil Zimmerman
Brier, WA