<html><head></head><body><div class="yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:bookman old style, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Dear Tweeters,</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Today, the ninth of April, Mike Nelson and I enjoyed a very fine day of birding in the Upper Skagit. The weather bordered upon the absurd, with alternating sun, clouds, rain, sleet, and snow flurries. Lather, rinse, repeat. I think that the changeable weather helped the birding.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">At the roadside by Ovenell's Heritage Inn, across the Skagit River from Concrete, we were unable to relocate the Vesper Sparrow that Mike had seen yesterday, and which Joel Brady-Power had relocated earlier this morning. However, we did see four Mountain Bluebirds and a Chipping Sparrow. Twelve Turkey Vultures landed in a cow pasture and foraged near some crows, too.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Along the Concrete-Sauk Valley Road, by Kinley Road, we ran into a flock of about eight Townsend's Solitaires. We'd seen one earlier in my yard near Lyman, so this was a good day for them.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Bryson Road was fantastic. We saw a pair of Mountain Bluebirds foraging with a pair of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS. A dark-morph Harlan's Hawk was there when we arrived, but soon flew off, as Harlan's Hawks usually do when people get within a few hundred meters of them.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">After walking around the trails at Bryson Road, we were getting ready to leave, but a quick final scan revealed a SAY'S PHOEBE! Then, just as we were getting ready to leave again, a flock of Townsend's Solitaires arrived. There were at least six of them.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">At the Skagit County part of Sauk Prairie, we heard a bird calling a strange, four-note call. We never did see the bird. The call sounded tit-like, high-low, high-low. </div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Large flocks of American Robins were almost everywhere.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Yours truly,</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Gary Bletsch</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div></div></body></html>