[Tweeters] Skagit Area "Survey"

[Dennis Paulson via Tweeters]

Jim, thanks for your detailed accounts, helpful to birders and helpful to our knowledge of what’s going on with the birds.

Dennis Paulson
Seattle


> On Apr 26, 2024, at 11:48 AM, via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

> 

> Hello all,

> 

>  Having just returned from Belize I was anxious to see the changes that

> have happened in just 3 weeks since I had last gone out birding in Skagit

> County.  The following represents what I saw/noticed.  I drove out to the

> East 90, then to Fir Island, then back to the East 90 - in about 5 or 6

> hours and stopping to just sit and watch at many different locations.

> I left the house just before noon and didn't return until just before

> sunset (7-ish).

> 

>  Significantly less Bald Eagles, all of them I saw were probably

>    associated with active nests.  Most of the active nests had "one

>    white head sticking up".  I did not observe any young but I was

>    looking up from below so wouldn't have seen them until they are

>    getting ready to fledge.  I saw around a dozen or so eagles - at

>    all the usual places (Samish River/East 90, Hayton, Allen West, etc.).

>    (I found Shep's report of 75 eagles at Nisqually to be Amazing - are

>    there fish running there that aren't in the Samish or Lower Skagit?)

> 

>  Very few Red-tailed Hawks.  Less than half a dozen, probably more like 3.

> 

>  Zero Short-eared Owls at the East 90.  This was in spite of sitting and

>    just watching for an hour about 1 and another hour from 5:30 to 6:30.

> 

>  About 6 Northern Harriers.  Two of them I saw at the East 90.

> 

>  No other raptor species.  Zip-zero.

> 

>  At most 1/4 of the ducks of any species as before we left.  These were

>    scattered around and mostly in ditches/sloughs.  There was no standing

>    water in the fields which surely contributed.  Most of them were

>    probably Mallards but I did not have my spotting scope with me to

>    Id the ones at long distances.

> 

>  There are passerines - everywhere - but not in large numbers.  We have

>    seen the first Goldfinch in breeding colors at our feeder/fountain.

>    Our seed feeder went empty while we were gone so the birds are still

>    re-discovering our backyard.

> 

>  There were Dunlin and sandpipers and yellow legs and other shore birds

>    and ducks at Hayton.  In fact this was the largest aggregation of

>    birds I saw.  I also stopped for about 1/2 hour at Jensen and there

>    were very few birds out on the water.  The tide was coming in both

>    there and at Hayton.

> 

>  A "normal" amount of gulls - meaning everywhere but scattered and no

>    large flocks.

> 

>  So that's the story for the Samish Flats, Skagit Flats, and the 90's.

> 

>              - Keep your eyes to the sky and trees and bushes ... Jim

> 

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