[Tweeters] Swans and geese in Skagit County

[Jamie Holland]

Hi Josh,

I hope someone who has been up in the last day or two replies, as they seem
to move around depending on the day. I didn't see a single (living) Snow
Goose on our trip through that area just before Christmas, but the swans
were much more widespread. I also wasn't scouring every small field, so
perhaps more diligence would yield better results.

To route the trip, I used the maps and driving directions located in the
Birder's Guide to Washington. The Skagit section is here:
https://wabirdguide.org/skagit-flats/, and the Samish section is here:
https://wabirdguide.org/samish-flats/.

If you have a whole day, I'd suggest starting in the Skagit flats as
recommended in the Birder's Guide, at Exit 221 for Conway Road, and slowly
working your way east and then north into the Samish flats. If you're
looking purely for swans and geese, I'd skip the upland walk at Padilla
Bay. That's likely to get you to the Samish East 90s corner by
mid-afternoon, which seems to be a good time to spot dueling Short-Eared
Owls and Northern Harriers.

We actually thought we might've seen Snow Geese far out on the water when
we were on Fir Island at Jenson Access, but my mom had just taken a spill
and I was too distracted to set up the scope. I told myself they were
probably gulls, but there was something ungullike in their appearance, and
someone said recently that Snow Geese will take to the water in certain
circumstances to do with the cycle of the moon.

Jamie Holland



On Fri, Dec 29, 2023 at 6:23 AM Josh DeSilvey <jmdesilvey at gmail.com> wrote:


> Hello - if the weather is favorable on Saturday, I was planning a trip up

> to Skagit county to view the populations of swans and geese that winter

> there, (as read on Tweeters listserv). I took a look at eBird and it looks

> Fir Island could be a good place. But in thought I would ask here for some

> guidance as to where some of better fields are.

>

> Thanks for your help and happy new year!

>

> Josh DeSilvey

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