Dear Tweeters,
Recently, the birding sites in the Upper Skagit that are still open have been mostly deserted. Mushroom gatherers are all over the place, but mostly in their seemingly random spots. Today, the tenth of April, there were quite a few upriver birding highlights to enjoy, all of which involved nobody but me, myself, and I. 
A stop along the SR 20 roadside near Corkindale Creek seemed to be a waste of time at first. Careful scoping of fenceposts eventually revealed a single WESTERN BLUEBIRD. This was only the seventh time I'd seen the species in Skagit County. Oddly, that was the only bluebird of the day, although I visited quite a few spots that are likely for Mountain Bluebirds.
Also at Corkindale was a single Townsend's Solitaire. A clearcut on the other side of the river produced two Townsend's Solitaires and a pair of duetting Northern Pygmy Owls.
Near Marblemount, a pair of Merlins put on quite a show. They were calling and flying around. I was able to watch them mating, not something I recall seeing before in this species. I flushed a Ruffed Grouse while I was walking around, too.
Generally speaking, many of the more common early migrants are slowly working their way up the valley. This would include Turkey Vultures, Violet-green Swallows, Tree Swallows, White-crowned Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Yours truly,
Gary Bletsch
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