[Tweeters] Everett-Marysville Christmas Bird Count (CBC) January 1, 2024: seeking trip leads

[Scott Atkinson]

The Everett-Marysville CBC, to be held two weeks from tomorrow (New Year's Day) seeks a couple territory leads for two dynamite territories.

The AREA 14 boat party leaves north Everett at first light, dropping off one party at Jetty Island before heading to Hat Island.   This open-water coverage is key for the CBC finding a range of open-water species, e.g., loons, grebes, cormorants, scoters, alcids, the less-common gulls and more.

Coverage of Hat Island itself follows after the passage across open salt water.  We've only had on-foot coverage of the island for a few years and are still learning the details of the island's winter birdlife.  The south and southwest flanks of the island appear to have great potential for less-common terrestrial species.  Last year, we had two experienced leads that split the island coverage.  The local community has been, to say the least, extremely enthusiastic about the visiting birders, and have offered varied hospitality in the past (including a little golf clubhouse to eat lunch), some of them also joined the visitors in conducting the CBC.

Then, for the more adventuresome, we have the NSSKA (a kayaking association) returning again with at least three kayakers to accompany us from Marysville's waterfront down Ebey & Steamboat sloughs, to north Ebey Island.  Previous kayaking experience is certainly helpful but not required; the kayakers have loaned us the necessary gear in the past as well.  This area has an amazingly remote feel to it, and kayaking offers the great opportunity for stealth approaches, and in fact is the only good way to cover places like remote Otter Island.  Like Hat Island, we don't have all the details on the birds back in there.  Wetland species like raptors, ducks, rails, and Marsh Wren are plentiful here, and the potential for rarities (herons other than Great Blue) are evident.  Like Hat, this is a dawn-to-dusk adventure.

If interested, please write me back with indication of level of experience.  This will be first-come, first-served, so please let me know soonest if you are interested.

Scott Atkinson, Compiler (scottratkinson at hotmail.com)
Everett-Marysville CBC
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