Hi Tweets



Today Eastside Audubon took a trip to Whidbey Island. The day started out
with light rain that started and stopped during most of the day ( as opposed
to most of the predictions that it would finished by 8 am.



It was a quiet trip from Mukilteo to Clinton with a couple of
GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLs. As we pulled into the Clinton terminal we had several
SURF SCOTERs, some DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTs, and a male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE.
We moved on to Deer Lake and were under the clouds and without rain for a
while. We had RUBY-CROWNED and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETs over us, a PACIFIC
WREN was in the undergrowth. On the lake were many BUFFLEHEAD, a bunch of
COMMON MERGANSERs, a CANADA GOOSE, a couple of MALLARDs, two BELTED
KINGFISHERs, and a BALD EAGLE flew over.



A stop on Rolling Hill Rd. resulted in SPOTTED TOWHEE, SONG SPARROW, FOX
SPARROW, HOUSE FINCH, AMERICAN CROW, VIRGINIA RAIL (heard), RED CROSSBILL
(overhead calling), ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, AMERICAN ROBIN, NORTHERN FLICKER,
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, and
in the distance COMMON RAVEN.



Our next stop was down in Maxwellton with MALLARD and BUFFLEHEAD on the
water ditch, and BREWER'S BLACKBIRDs (lots), EUROPEAN STARLINGs, MOURNING
DOVE, and HOUSE SPARROW as we drove thru the houses. At Dave Mackie Park we
scoped out the bay and picked up MALLARDs, AMERICAN WIGEON, GLAUCOUS-WINGED,
CALIFORNIA, HEERMANN'S GULLs, COMMON LOON, HORNED GREBE, RED-NECKED GREBE,
SURF SCOTER, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, COMMON MERGANSER, BRANDT'S CORMORANT,
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, WESTERN GREBE, GREAT BLUE HERON, PIGEON GUILLEMOT,
ROCK PIGEON, AMERICAN ROBIN.



At the Ewing Road wetlands we managed to see NORTHERN SHOVELER, MALLARD,
AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHEN SHOVELER, RED-TAILED HAWK, RED-CROSSBILL, EUROPEAN
STARLING, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, MARSH WREN, GOLDEN-CROWNED and RUBY-CROWNED
KINGLET.



The Sunlight Beach Rd. Deer Lagoon gave us views of BELTED KINGFISHER,
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, DUNLIN, BUFFLEHEAD, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, GREAT BLUE
HERON, MEW, RING-BILLED, CALIFORNIA, HEERMANN'S, WESTERN, GLAUCOUS-WINGED
and HERRING GULLs.



Holmes Harbor (in Freeland) showed us more GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLs,
BONAPARTE'S GULL, HORNED and RED-NECKED GREBEs, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTs.



At the Bush Point access point we picked up nice looks at WHITE-WINGED
SCOTER, and SURF SCOTER, HORNED GREBE, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, ROCK
PIGEON, COMMON LOON.



In the Crockett Lake area the small pond yielded GREATER and LESSER SCAUP,
HOODED and COMMON MERGANSER, BUFFLEHEAD. Crockett Lake had a nice group of
DUNLIN and some WESTERN SANDPIPERs and eventually a NORTHERN HARRIER.



We stopped at the parking area at the Keystone (Coupeville) ferry terminal
an looked at DOUBLE-CRESTED, BRANDT'S and PELAGIC CORORANTs, PIGEON
GUILLEMOT, HORNED GREBE and HARLEQUIN DUCK. Up the hill in Fort Casey, the
overlook near the lighthouse, let us see more HORNED GREBES and an EARED
GREBE. A line of RHINOCEROS AUKLETs flew by, as did a couple of RED-BREASTED
MERGANSERs. Along the road by our car we saw GOLDEN-CROWNED and
WHITE-CROWNED and SONG SPARROWs, and in the vegetation SPOTTED TOWHEE,
BEWICK'S WREN, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, AMERICAN ROBIN, CHESTNUT-BACKED
CHICKADEE, and BROWN CREEPER. A VARIED THRUSH called in the distance.



Kennedy Lagoon had a bunch of BUFFLEHEAD. Out to Libby Beach and more HORNED
and RED-NECKED GREBEs, two PACIFIC LOONs, COMMON LOON, SURF SCOTER.



The Hastie Lake access was birdless, but at the overlook in Swantown we got
a close look at a RED-THROATED LOON. Bos Lake had some of the fewest birds I
have seen there, but did have BUFFLEHEAD and two RUDDY DUCKs.



At the Oak Harbor Marina we managed to find some BLACK TURNSTONEs and
SURFBIRDs, a KINGFISHER and a few GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLs.



Dugualla Lake had GADWALL, CANVASBACK, a single REDHEAD, RING-NECKED DUCKs,
MALLARD, NORTHERN PINTAIL and AMERICAN COOT (as well as a large collection
of realistic decoys on the far shore). A BELTED KINGFISHER flew in.



West Beach, in Deception Pass State Park, had a chipping PACIFIC WREN, and
two BLACK OYSTERCATCHERs, and HORNED and RED-NECKED GREBEs. On the road in,
Cranberry Lake had two PIED-BILLED GREBEs



A quick stop at the Valentine Road feeders had a DOWNY WOODPECKER at the
suet feeder. As we drove along Fir Island Rd. we saw several Swans (too
distant and too dim to identify as to Trumpeter or Tundra).



At other locations along the way we saw: SNOW GOOSE, BRANT, several EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVEs, STELLER'S JAY, DARK-EYED JUNCOs all over the place.



A very nice day with good friends in spite of some less than ideal weather,
and 90 species for the day was much appreciated,



Brian H. Bell

Woodinville WA

bell asoc at iso media dot com