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Reporter's name: Linda Griesbach
Sighting Description: Apparent mallard hybrid drake seen with other male and female
mallards. Note its dark legs. Any idea what this mix might be?
Location: North end of Lone Lake on private property.
Date and time: October 15, 2019 at 8:30 a.m.
Photo Title: Hybrid mallard
Comment submitted Oct 15, 2019
Reporter's name: Steve Ellis
Sighting Description: A Willet was with a flock of yellowlegs at Grasser's Lagoon. We
saw it from the Hwy 20 pullout.
The Marbled Godwit was still at Crockett's Lake this evening.
Location: Grasser's Lagoon, Penn Cove
Date and time: 10/12/19 9:00am
Comment submitted Oct 12, 2019
Reporter's name: Carlos Andersen
Sighting Description: Crockett Lake American Pipits also Marbled Godwit still present.
Also had a flyover of about 20 Greater White-fronted Geese.
Location: Crockett Lake
Date and time: 10/11/2019 0730 to 1000
Photo Title: American Pipit
Comment submitted Oct 11, 2019
Reporter's name: Carlos Andersen
Sighting Description: Mountin Bluebirds at Crockett Lake West of viewing platform and on
south side of gravel road.
Location: Crockett Lake, West of viewing platform and south of gravel road.
Date and time: 10/11/2019, 0945
Photo Title: Mountain Bluebird
Comment submitted Oct 11, 2019
Reporter's name: Michael Sheldon
Sighting Description: Attaching a photo of the Marbled Godwit described by Jay Adams in
his post yesterday.
Location: Crockett Lake
Date and time: October 10, 2019. 10 AM
Photo Title: Marbled Godwit
Comment submitted Oct 10, 2019
Reporter's name: Jay Adams
Sighting Description: Marbled Godwit. This bird was first seen on October 5 in
essentially the same location, i.e., near the tip of the peninsula of dry land that ends
more or less opposite the viewing platform. Two birds were present on the 5th. Today's
bird, the larger and longer-billed of the two, has been present every day since.
Location: Crockett Lake
Date and time: October 9, 2019 at about 10:30 a.m.
Comment submitted Oct 9, 2019
Reporter's name: Mary Jo Adams
Sighting Description: I got a good look through my spotting scope at a black scoter
yesterday afternoon at Maylor's Point. It was among a group of about 200 surf
scoters. There were also a few white-winged scoters.
Location: Maylor's Point on the Seaplane Base in Oak Harbor
Date and time: 10/5/19 3:30 pm
Comment submitted Oct 6, 2019
Reporter's name: Patricia Prochaska 
Sighting Description: Western Scrub Jay came to my suet feeder on my deck and spent
time
in my yard. It's the first time I have ever seen one here. I have many pictures.
Better
photos are not on this phone.
Location: Lagoon Point on Smugglers Cove Road
Confirmation: I am fairly experienced
Date and time: October 2, 2019 4:45-5:30 or so
Photo Title: Western Scrub Jay
Comment submitted Oct 3, 2019
Reporter's name: Judy Howard
Sighting Description: Four American white pelicans. I have never seen them here -
beautiful!
Location: In Useless Bay, just off of Double Bluff Beach.
Confirmation: Listed as irruptive.
Date and time: October 2, 2019, 1 PM
Comment submitted Oct 2, 2019
Reporter's name: Tom Leschine
Sighting Description: A White-Throated Sparrow, tan-striped morph. Briefly sitting in
an apple tree at close range but soon disappeared into dense vegetation.
Location: Just off Burley Road, in Clinton above the farm fields.
Date and time: 9/28/19 10:15 am
Comment submitted Sep 28, 2019
Reporter's name: Tom Leschine
Sighting Description: A flock of 35 white pelicans flew overhead the lower Maxwelton
farmlands this morning, at about 10:15. They were moving south but soon turned west,
as
if heading to Deer Lagoon.
Location: Farmlands along Maxwelton Road, south of French Road
Date and time: 9/27/19 10:15 an
Comment submitted Sep 27, 2019
Reporter's name: George Heleker
Sighting Description: More Turkey Vultures!
After scanning the sky for more than 20 minutes on a sunny
afternoon, on 9/25 starting at 2:30, we saw 17 vultures in a
kettle to the south of
here at 2:51 pm. Their numbers increased as others joined them
from the north/northwest. A little farther east, there was also
another kettle of 24 birds. The two kettles became close enough
to each other to become one for a total of 52 birds! By 3:02,
all the birds were gliding off toward the south/southeast. A
few minutes later, one bird appeared low in the south, and it
soared for a little while then glided off toward the
south/southeast. At 3:14, six birds appeared in the southwest
and soared higher. Four of the six glided off toward the
south/southeast, then in a few minutes five more joined the two
remaining, and they eventually glided off toward the
south/southeast. We stayed outside until 4:00 pm and did not
see any more Turkey Vultures.
Our house is about 2 miles southwest of the Clinton ferry dock
near the highest part of the south end of the island which is
about 510 feet elevation. I'm beginning to wonder if we are on
a Turkey Vulture "highway" for fall migration. If more move by
in migration in this area, good places to view them would be on
Rolling Hill Rd. and perhaps even better from the High Meadow
Rd./Heggeness Rd. intersection.
Location: Two miles southwest of Clinton Ferry dock
Date and time: 9/25/19 2:30 pm- 4:00 pm.
Comment submitted Sep 26, 2019
Reporter's name: George Heleker
Sighting Description: Saw a kettle of 17 Turkey Vultures south
of our place on this
sunny afternoon. The numbers continued to grow as others came
in from the
north/northwest After 10 minutes or so, all 32 birds glided off
toward the
south/southeast. Late September to early October is when I have
seen large numbers of
Turkey Vultures at this location, always on the move southward.
Location: 2 miles southwest of the Clinton ferry
Date and time: 9/24/2019 3:28 pm
Comment submitted Sep 24, 2019
Reporter's name: Carlos Andersen
Sighting Description: Five Sandhill Cranes looking for a
sheltered place out of the wind
to spend the night. Thanks to Cindy Willis for posting on eBird
her earlier sighting on
Woodard when they flew over.
Location: Deer Lagoon, West Dike then flew to Double Bluff
Road
Date and time: 9/23/2019 1900
Comment submitted Sep 23, 2019
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Schedule changes: Remember to
check this space a few
hours before any
Whidbey Audubon Society event in
case weather or illness
cancels it. Consider
signing up to receive updates by
email but check here anyway in case
emails fail to transmit in time.
Birding in the Neighborhoods -
Weekly Field Trips
South Whidbey
The trips are every other Thursday
and the meeting time
varies with the season.
If you would like to be notified of
the events, contact
Cathi Bower  .
North Whidbey
The trips are on the 2nd Wednesday
of each month. If you
wish to be notified
of the events, contact Marcia Lazoff
 .
Thursday, October 10: Meeting
THE SPOTTED OWL IN WASHINGTON
STATE
Coupeville Recreation Hall, 901 NW
Alexander St.
Doors open at 7 p.m. for socializing
before a short business meeting at
7:15 and the program begins at 7:30.
The northern subspecies of the spotted
owl (Strix occidentalis) resides
precariously in Washington state.
Often confused with the slightly
larger and more common barred owl, it
is elusive and rare. The program
presenter, Joseph Buchanan, will
provide background on the ecology of
Spotted Owls in Washington as well as
an update on the status of the
species, conservation challenges and
research and management actions that
address those challenges. Joseph B.
Buchanan is a natural resource
scientist with the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Tuesday, Oct. 15: Field Trip
DEER LAGOON
Darwin Wile will lead a field trip to
Deer Lagoon, meeting at
the Bayview Park & Ride at 9:00 a.m.
While Deer
Lagoon hosts multitudes of birds all
year long, it doesn't get
much better than
October. There will be a profusion of
ducks, shorebirds, terns,
and gulls. Not a bad
time for raptors either -- eagles,
ospreys, harriers, and
perhaps a falcon or two and
maybe even a short-eared owl. Swallows
and waxwings should
still be present as well
as sparrows and finches. Also, we
should see numbers of loons,
grebes, and scoters
and probably brants and geese in
Useless Bay, not to mention a
pelican or two still
hanging around. But the big numbers
are likely to be shorebirds
-- yellowlegs,
western and least sandpipers, dunlins,
dowitchers, and possibly
a phalarope or two.
All in all, October is a splendid time
for birding! 
Saturday, October 19: Field
Trip
STRAWBERRY POINT
Jay Adams and Danielle Bishop from the
Whidbey Camano Land Trust will lead a
field
trip to the Land Trust's Strawberry
Point Preserve. The preserve is not
open to the
public yet! This tour will traverse
through forest, wetlands, and a scenic
meadow.
Earning a local reputation for being
the area in which Bruiser the elk
resides, you
will more likely see fall migrants and
local common songbirds on this
approximately
1.5 mile long hike! Whidbey Audubon
funded a $10,000 conservation grant
that allowed
the Land Trust to protect the first
127 acres of the preserve and
spearheaded current
efforts to protect 120 more acres of
adjoining habitat. See how this grant
has been
put to work! The trip will start at
9:00 a.m. and will be about 2 hours
long. The
trip is limited to 15 participants and
registration is first come, first
served. For
more information and to register,  . Directions will be provided
upon registration.
Sturdy hiking footwear is recommended;
trails have some terrain and slight
elevation
climbs, please bring hiking poles if
needed.
Saturday, October 26: Field
Trip
MARYMOOR PARK
Frances Wood and Patty Cheek will lead
a field trip to Marymoor Park in
Redmond. Come
explore an area we don't usually
visit. Some previous October bird
sightings include
Cackling Geese, Trumpeter Swan, Ring-
necked Ducks, Virginia Rail, Mew
Gulls, Northern
Harrier, Great Horned Owl, Northern
Saw-whet Owls, Pileated Woodpeckers,
Cedar
Waxwing, American Pipit, Pine Siskin,
White-throated Sparrows, Varied
Thrush,
Northern Shrike, Killdeer, Snow Geese,
Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon,
Eurasian
Collared-Dove, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and
on and on. It's an exciting area to
explore.
We will meet at the Clinton Park and
Ride at 7:30 am, carpool and catch the
8 am
ferry. Please pack a lunch and we'll
plan to return to Whidbey mid-
afternoon. Please
contact Frances Wood  or
Patty Cheek  . As always, bring adequate
footwear and layered clothing,
binoculars, scopes, etc.
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Picture Gallery
Post your pictures
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Western Willet
-- Ruth Richards |
Hybrid mallard
-- Linda Griesbach |
Marbled Godwit
-- Carlos Andersen |
American Pipit
-- Carlos Andersen |
Mountain Bluebird
-- Carlos Andersen
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Marbled Godwit
-- Michael Sheldon |
Western scrub jay
-- Patricia
Prochaska |
-- Lee |
Great egret and great blue heron
--
Linda Griesbach |
Solo great egret
-- Linda Griesbach
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Black-throated gray warbler
-- Mary Jo
Adams |
Song sparrow fledgling?
-- Mary
Hollen |
Green Heron
-- Jay Adams |
Bushtits at feeder
-- Patrick Kline
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Michael Sheldon Photo/Green Heron
--
Jay Adams |
Virginia Rail
-- Albert Rose |
Hudsonian Godwit
-- Jay Adams |
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