Date: 4/26/24 12:06 pm From: Dennis Paulson via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Skagit Area "Survey"
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...> 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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