[Tweeters] Skagit - Birding the Flats - April 2023

[jimbetz at jimbetz.com]

Hi all,

   So I "toured" the flats yesterday.  I started at the Butler Flats,
went to Edison and the Samish Flats (going all the way to Samish
Island), and from there across the Skagit Flats on Best Road (no
big fields of color from the tulips - but lots of daffodils!), and
out onto Fir Island.

   I saw a few Bald Eagles, more than the normal amount of Northern
Harriers (see other posts), 3 Ring-necked Pheasants, a lot of
Brewers Blackbirds, one small group of about 200 Snow Geese (just
resting while traveling North - LOS?), one Canadian Goose (may
have been on a nest), 3 White Fronted Geese in the Samish River,
Mallards "everywhere" but only in small numbers, several Crows,
about twice as many Ravens, a smattering of passerines, a couple
of small flocks of Coots, a respectable number of Great Blue
Herons (both alongside the road in ditches and hunting out on
the mud flats - the tide was low), one RTH, one Rough-Legged.
   Missing were any Trumpeters (too late?), no RWB (but my fault
for not going looking for them in the right places), didn't see
any other ducks than the Mallards (again probably my fault).
   There was a Bald Eagle peeking its head above the nest at
the West 90.  Could it have been sitting this early?
   Of all of the areas the -least- productive was Fir Island.
BTW, in case you don't remember, all access to Wiley Slough
is blocked off ... can't even go in to use the bathroom now.
   I think Snow Goose Produce is open now - ice cream from
them is the alternative to seeing the tulips?

   I don't know if the SEOs are here or not - you usually have
to be there late in the day (3 or later) and I was out earlier
than that.
   The Skagit River is running fairly hard but not threatening
any sort of flooding.

   Have you checked out the "super bloom" of poppies in California?
The rest of the SW Desert areas are also seeing lots of flowers
this year (and flooded areas where no one has seen water in a
long time.  And Tulare Lake!
                                                      - Jim