[Tweeters] Skagit Survey

[Jim Betz via Tweeters]

Hi all,

   I did a 'survey trip' to most of my favorite haunts today.  A 'fairly 
birdy day'.  Some

notables:

   I saw Bald Eagles pretty much everywhere.  Something occurred to me 
about that -

I've seen Balds sitting on nests, even seen fledgling heads sticking up 
over the nest

once or twice ... but what I haven't seen are "newly fledged young".  
Either they

get really big very quickly - or they leave and go somewhere else almost 
as soon as

they fledge.  Curious detail!  I may have gotten a usable pic of a 
juvenile at Cap

Sante (haven't done the edit yet).  Two Balds on the piling at the ferry 
dock at

Ship.

   There were some Trumpeters - but not very many.  Including both less 
numbers

and less number of groups.  They are clearly leaving (and moving North).

   I got to see the first group of Snow Geese since we got back from 
NZ.  There

were 4 to 5 thousand in one group on the Skagit Flats ... but no where else.

They were "agitated" and probably were a large group that was already in

migration.  Quite possible my last time to see them this year.

   A normal amount of Red-tailed Hawks ... meaning somewhere between 10

and 30 thru the day.  No other hawks.  One Kestrel at the East 90.  I've

discovered that I don't have a truly good shot of a Kestrel - turns out I've

never caught one really close to me and so the images are blown up far

too much for what I want.

   Yesterday evening there were some Dunlin dancing out near the actual

mouth of the Samish River - seen in the distance for over 15 minutes

near to sunset (visible/seen from the East and West 90s).

   A lot of Harlequin Ducks at Ship Harbor.  Also saw them at Rosario.  And

Oystercatchers at both places as well.  No Great Blue Herons at either

location which isn't particularly surprising - but 6 or more on the Samish

Flats (E-90 and environs) - and in the mud flats near the rookery on

Marches Point (that's how we spelled it when I was growing up and I

haven't changed yet - *G*).

   No Osprey today, nor recently.  They'll show up soon.

   Heard but didn't see a Kingfisher at Rosario.  And same for a Bald Eagle

"somewhere up high in the trees above the parking lot".

   One Short-eared Owl at the East 90.

   Two places I did not visit were Hayton and Wylie - but I did drive by 
both.

                             - Jim