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Saturday, August 2nd, 2003

Whidbey Island

Brian Bell led a small group on a to Whidbey Island and they had a very good day. It started out overcast and cool, but gradually cleared and warmed up. While waiting for the ferry at Mukilteo, they got extremely nice views of juvenile GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLs - nice downy heads with dark spots on them. They had one MARBLED MURRELET just west of the ferry dock just before the ferry came in. They had a couple of CASPIAN TERNS here, and 20 later at SWANTOWN. They had an adult and immature RED-TAILED HAWK along Ewing Road in Whidbey and several more later on the trip home down along the I-5 corridor.

Double-Bluff was pretty quiet, but did turn up a pair of adult BALD EAGLES, 6 COMMON TERNS down by the point, and a pod of 6 dolphins moving north (too distant to identify with certainty but perhaps HARBORPORPOISE as they had all black dorsal fins and were relatively small appearing). As they went back out to the highway, the wetlands/lake had good numbers of MALLARDS, NORTHERN SHOVELER, NORTHERN PINTAIL and GADWALL. A few CLIFF SWALLOWS were present, although generally BARN and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWs were the only ones present in any quantity. A nice female/immature COMMON YELLOWTHROAT  showed itself in the marsh as did RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDs.

At Bush Point they had a single COMMON LOON flyby and also a COMMON MURRE. Several RHINOCEROS AUKLETS were diving a ways offshore. A male BELTED KINGFISHER kept flying in and attempting to land on a television antenna.

At Crockett Lake the thistles were loaded with AMERICAN GOLDFINCH and the surrounding conifers had good numbers of CEDAR WAXWINGS. There were good numbers of shorebirds at the lake including both GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS - at one point we had both side by side allowing great views under superb lighting. A nice comparison. Lots of WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPERS, also allowing nice comparisons. One BAIRD'S SANDPIPER was present, but a PEREGRINE FALCON made a pass before they could really view the Baird's and all the shorebirds flushed. Approximately 25 Long-billed Dowitchers were doing their best sewing machine imitations. Three
NORTHERN HARRIERs cruised back and forth, one adult female and two immatures with wing tags (a blue one on a left wing with a solid diamond, and a blue one on a right wing with an open triangle). A nice SAVANNAH SPARROW popped up at one point and gave them a nice view as it perched on an old hunters blind. On the other side of Crockett Lake they had 38 GREAT BLUE HERONS feeding on the edges of the lake. On the old platform just offshore were about 12 PELAGIC CORMORANTs and about 25 PIGEON GUILLEMOTs. The rock jetty was loaded with GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLs and HEERMANN'S GULLs (Heermann's also at Double Bluff and Swantown).

Up at Fort Casey they had an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER who sat silently, but finally responded with the classic song. The picnic area turned up NORTHERN FLICKER (red-shafted race), SPOTTED TOWHEE, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, DARK-EYED JUNCO, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (juveniles, Audubon's race), GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, a HAIRY WOODPECKER tapping on al old branch, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, BEWICK'S WREN, WINTER WREN (heard), and a BROWN CREEPER. At the south end of the picnic area they had impressive looks at a GREAT HORNED OWL.

 From the pier at San de Fuca they had looks at COMMON LOON, SURF and WHITE-WINGED SCOTER,  and a couple of BLACK TURNSTONEs at the end of the pier. Swantown turned up a PACIFIC LOON, a SEMI-PALMATED PLOVER, a KILLDEER, a RED-NECKED GREBE and a RED-THROATED LOON.

They stopped at the Stanwood Sewage Ponds on the way home and were rewarded with several species. The most outstanding were incredible views of male, breeding plumage and displaying RUDDY DUCKS with bright ruddy sides and brilliant blue bills. The ponds also had MALLARDS, GADWALL, HOODED MERGANSERS,  a surprising GREATER SCAUP, a BREWER'S BLACKBIRD and a RING-BILLED GULL.