[Tweeters] FOY (for me) - Snow Geese on Fir Island

[jimbetz at jimbetz.com]

Hi all,

   I know I'm late to the party - we were in Veracruz - but I saw
one flock of about 3000+ Snow Geese off of Maupin Rd and another
group of about 500 (+?) at Hayton.  It was nice to hear them
honking their way across the sky and clucking their way across
the fields.
   Very few ducks of any kind - yet.  And I did not see any Swans -
today.

   There were -many- hunters on Fir Island and even some "checking
out stuff" at the West 90 (no guns, just walking in, but in camo gear).
Just about every possible place a hunter could park was occupied,
often to capacity.  And I could hear the guns going off all over
Fir and even down towards Stanwood.

   Saw a fair number of RTHs, zero Balds, a couple of Harriers and the
requisite number of blackbirds on the wires (every where).  I saw a
few Ravens but no crows.  A few passerines (too far or on the wrong
side of the bushes).  And about 4 GBHs.  Did not see a Flicker nor
any Kestrels.  I saw several boats in the river at Mt. Vernon - so
there must be something 'running' but there weren't any eagles or
ospreys here today (that I saw).

   All of the above was "late" ... as in I left the house about 11:30.
The tide was high.  The fresh water ditches and sloughs were pretty
empty unless they were within reach of the tide.  I drove out to
Edison/Samish Island first and then went South to Fir Island.
   Snow Goose Produce is closed for the season - so no ice cream
cone today (which I don't need after 2 weeks in Mexico!).  The Rex
was open and -very- busy ... mostly bikes.

   Wiley is "not nice" ... with more "work" scheduled after the first
of the year.  But I did catch Bob (of Bob and his dog River who is
no longer with us) and we had a nice chat at Wiley.  The parking lot
near the boat launch had about a half dozen 'duck boats' and/or trucks
with trailers (sans boat).  All of the boats were "camo-ed" so these
were not fishermen.  Even the motors had camo on them.  One boat had a
fringe of cattails along the gunwale.

   Go Birding!
                                                    - Jim in Burlington