The bird activity has definitely picked up in the past few days. Today I saw a MacGillivray's Warbler hopping around in my bushes.
Linda Bainbridge
Greenbank
Above comment submitted Sep 2, 2010
August 30th For the last 6 days we've had a juvie horned owl roosting in the trees around our house. He seems to like one branch on a cedar tree staying out in the sun for awhile ,then moving back into the shade. Looks like he's dozing but still watches us as we move around the yard. Has stayed on the branch as long as 7 hours and then at dusk takes off into the forest. No sound of the wings, just see movement in the trees. I've posted 2 photos on the web site.
John Schuster
Freeland
Today, August 24th at 2:30 p.m. and again at 3:00 p.m. I saw a Great Egret on the shore of the small peninsuala in the large pond along the Dike Road, which crosses Dugualla Flats.
I am absolutely certain of the identity of this egret. While I was watching, a Great Blue Heron landed about seventy-five feet away across the peninsula. I was able to compare the sizes of the two birds; the egret was slightly smaller than the heron, just a few inches, and the egret had distinctly black legs. I have seen Great Herons and Snowy Egrets previously. This was neither of those.
Vincent Hagel
[Revised by author]
Sighted what appears to be a Great Heron on Dike Road on the pasture side (North on SR20 outside of Oak Harbor, take right on Frostad Road, Dike is about one mile down on the left). Saw the single one for the first time Friday, August 20th at about 1:00 pm; it was there again the next day. Today, the 23rd of August, there were TWO of them there, about 12:45PM. They are all white and about the same size as the Great Blue herons. I don't have a camera with an adequate zoom so don't have a photo to share.
Whidbey-Wide Clean-Out-Your-Garage Project
You know that stuff you're saving because it's too valuable to throw away but you'll never use it again? Whidbey Audubon will stage an all-island sale on Saturday, October 2. You can bring salable merchandise to the September 9 meeting. Or call Robin at 678-5403 to arrange a drop-off. If it won't fit in your car but will fit in a pickup truck, call Rob at 331-2466. The proceeds will help Craig and Joy Johnson with some medical bills they're running up.
More details will be posted here as they are firmed up.
P.S. the Northern Mockingbird reported a minute ago was identified positively by his yellow eye and mockingbird shape and tail.
We id'ed a Northern Mockingbird along our driveway at 1009 NE Leach St in Coupeville, east of the Coupeville Dock. Time 2:30 pm on August 12, 2010.
Ebey's Landing hike - August 6, Friday afternoon 2 pm-ish, very strange (exotic?) bird. Couldn't find it in Sibley North America. About quail size, brown body (with some violet blue and a few white spottings - not a pattern). Black cone beak (thick and large), red eye, NO feathers on forehead/top of head (what does he eat that he doesn't want head feathers to get dirty???), tail feathers not fanned like grouse, but 'rectangular' and long - grey/black with a white circular spot (underneath?) at end. In bush, then glided (like a chukar) down hill to the cut golden grass field. Strangest bird I've ever seen. Escapee from the Olympic Game Farm? No. This was not a quail or a chukar. BIG beak.
At 9 a.m. on 8/2 there was a spotted sandpiper at Forbes Point in Oak Harbor (seaplane base). There was also a large flock of 200-300 scoters offshore, probably 40 percent of them white-winged scoters. Plus one common goldeneye and a common loon.
Carla Corin
July 31st, about 5:45pm we spotted a Black Crowned Crane (Balearica pavonina) along E Crescent Harbor Rd. The bird was walking along the dirt road way on the base property, just inside of the fence. If I could anthropomorphize a bit, I'd say it seemed a little lost and confused, looking about constantly and walking tentatively. I also have 2 somewhat blurry digital images [one posted in the PhotoBucket Preview at the right]. I am quite sure of my identification between the grey and the black because of the lack of pronounced neck feathers, but I am certainly no expert on African birds!
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Birding in the Neighborhoods - Weekly Field Trips
Meet at the Bayview Park n Ride; birding usually is north up to Crockett Lake and sometimes Penn Cove. The meeting time varies with the season. Right now we're
meeting some Thursdays at 8 a.m. If you would like to be notified of the events, contact Phyllis Kind by online
letter. Carpool
August 29 (2:00 Sun) Movie at the Clyde in Langley
BENEATH THE SALISH SEA
Back by popular demand for those weekenders, snowbirds, and winter-vacationers who missed deep-water photographer Florian Graner's wonderful exploration of the life below Holmes Harbor and out into the Sound the first four times we showed it. One of the most popular films at The Clyde this year--and made by a local.
Not rated--suitable for all ages.
1 hour 25 minutes
Starting Thursday, Sept. 2: Classes
Birds of Whidbey Island
Whidbey Audubon's popular course taught by local bird experts, runs first and
third Thursdays, plus field trips some Saturdays, through May 2011. See the article on page 5 of September's Shorelines. Contact is Miriam Nack,
360-321-3968
Thursday September 9: Monthly Meeting
Physiology of Bird Migration
Dr. John Bower of Western Washington University will present a program that he developed especially for Whidbey Audubon.
Birds migrating over long distances need more than strong flight muscles and a sense of direction. Changes in day length trigger physiological changes that lead to feather molting, alterations in the digestive system, changes in sleep patterns and strengthening of the immune system.
It's almost miraculous, when you consider that a hummingbird weighing an eighth of an ounce can fly to Mexico and beyond.
Come learn all about it!
Unitarian Universalist Congregation.
20103 Highway 525, north of Freeland on the west side, 100 yards north of Island Recycling.
7:00 Doors open, 7:15 Meeting, 7:30 Program. Please bring a mug for coffee.
[A point of clarification: Ordinarily the September meeting would be held in Coupeville, but because of a scheduling conflict it is being held in Freeland, instead.]
Saturday, Sept. 11: Field Trip
Dugualla Bay and Sleeper Road
We'll be looking for waterfowl, shorebirds, and falcons at Dugualla Bay.
Afterwards we'll hike into the Sleeper Road area for forest birds. Meet at Oak Harbor City Beach (end of Beeksma Drive)
at 9:00 a.m. for this half-day trip. Be prepared for some walking. Trip leader is Steve Ellis, 360-678-2264.
Saturday, Sept. 18: Field Trip
Central Whidbey
Meet at 9:00 a.m. at 1838 North Bluff Road in Greenbank, for a walk through forests, wetlands and open
fields to an old growth cedar tree, over a 1,000 years old. This is a seldom seen area of the island with many small forest
birds, raptors, and woodpeckers. Trip leader is Robin Llewellyn, 360-678-5403.
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Thursday, June 10, 2010 Meeting: Bird In the Hand
Matt Klope, a biologist with the US Navy, and Robin Llewellyn, our energetic Program Coordinator, organized a hands-on exhibit of stuffed birds and bird skins (and some bat specimens). Tillie Scruton and Sarah Schmidt spent long hours preparing the specimens with Matt. Some 24 volunteers participated in the exhibit, with resounding success.
Wednesday, May 26 - Monday May 31, 2010 Field Trip: Birding Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge
Joe Sheldon  organized an extensive exploration of this important wetland set in the desert of Southeastern Oregon. Although the weather was dodgy at times, mosquitoes were absent, so on balance the conditions favored birdwatching, which yielded a remarkable number of species. Look for a writeup in an upcoming issue of Shorelines, but not the one for June.
Thursday, May 13, 2010 Meeting: Urban Raptors: Rewilding our Neighborhoods and Lives
Stan Rullman from the University of Washington school of Wildlife Science and Urban Ecology showed us some of his research results involving predator birds in areas with varying degrees of urban development. He found that species diversity peaks in areas of medium development, such as housing subdivisions, but also depends on the kinds of predators present. He found that large predators, such as Cooper's hawks, drive out smaller ones, such as crows, so prey species thrive best in the middle range between the two kinds of predators. He considers the situation to be another example of species diversity benefitting from the presence of large predators, not too different from the effect of wolves or cougars on their habitats.
Tuesday, May 11 Field Trip: Navy Seaplane Base, Oak Harbor
This half-day trip explored the Navy Seaplane Base, looking for
shorebirds and waterfowl in the harbor, raptors and sea birds from the bluffs, ducks in the treatment ponds, and songbirds
in the wooded areas. See Bill Bradkin's writeup in the June Shorelines.
Saturday, April 17 Field Trip: West Beach
Steve Ellis led this trip. The May Shorelines has a good writeup.
Thursday, April 8, 2010 Meeting: The Lives of Osprey
Larry Rymon,  Professor
Emeritus at East Stroudsburg University of
Pennsylvania, recounted the re-population of Pennsylvania ospreys, which had been extirpated by DDT. Using a video recording, Dr. Rymon showed us the procedures by which he and his teams relocated chicks from Chesapeake Bay to artificial nests built on elevated platforms. The populations now are self-sustaining and are spreading into the adjacent states.
Tuesday, Mar. 16, 2010 Field Trip: Borderlands
Phyllis Kind  led a trip to Birch Bay and Semiahmoo on a blustery winter day. Despite the wind, the dauntless troop of birders took in some gratifying sights, including a flock of brants flying in, a good collection of pacific loons practicing for the upcoming mating rituals, and a lone female long-tailed duck going about her business. The April Shorelines has a good writeup.
Thursday, March 11, 2010 Meeting: Feathered Architects
Idie Ulsh,  a well-known birder, brought to us her considerable knowledge of birds' nesting habits, which range from laying the eggs on the bare ground to knitting elaborate sack nests that hang from tree branches to just leaving the eggs in other birds' nests. She accompanied her presentation with a wonderful variety of photographs showing the nests and their occupants. The April Shorelines has a good writeup.
Saturday, Mar. 6, 2010 Field Trip: Fidalgo Island
Dave Parent showed what the well-trained eye can find. A casual birder would have thought there weren't many birds out, especially considering the exceptionally fine weather. The trip to Fidalgo Island and the Skagit Flats yielded over 60 species, proving that you have to know how to look for them. The best sighting might have been hundreds of brants rafting in the shallow water near Anacortes. Or a dark morph of the rough-legged hawk. Or maybe a trio of rhinocerous auklets skimming over the water surface. The April Shorelines has a good writeup.
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 Field Trip: Owling
Gary Piazzon led an owling trip, starting in twilight at Keystone Spit and Crockett Lake and ending in the woods nearby. The April Shorelines has a good writeup.
Thursday, Feb 11, 2010 Meeting 
Suburban Bird Tracking
John Marzluff of the University of Washington showed us some of the research he's doing on the effects of urban development on species diversity among birds, showing that diversity peaks during development because of variable degrees of adaptation. Then he talked about crows and how they train humans. Crows identify their subjects by the subjects' visible markings and reward them for food-providing behavior with small objects which the subjects prize. The crows are still gathering data and haven't set a target date for publishing their results.
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010 Field Trip
Skagit Flats, Fir Island, Samish Flats
Dave Parent led an expedition that yielded some 69 bird species, including over 50 bald eagles.
Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010 Field Trip 
Loons at Deception Pass
Sarah Schmidt introduced field trippers to the red-throated loon phenomenon that happens at Deception Pass this time of year. The loons did stream through as advertised, so there were no complaints. Closer in, sharp-eyed birders noticed two black oystercatchers with leg bands and with wire antennas sticking out in back. Conifer forest opening on broad expanses of sheltered water with faint banks of fog drifting through, winter birding is different.
Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 Field Trip 
Hoypus Point
Steve Ellis timed this hike on Hoypus Point just right. The temperature was normal for January, but there was no rain and the sun even appeared. In the majestic old-growth forest plants got more attention than birds, so Steve and Martha made it more of a nature walk than a birding one.
Thursday, Jan 14, 2010 Meeting: 
Orcas, Chinook and Tradition
Howard Garrett of Orca Network changed our understanding of the engaging sea mammals we call orcas, that used to be misleadingly called killer whales. It turns out they're porpoises, not whales, and they only hunt a sharply limited range of prey.
Howard brought us up to date on current research into their feeding, migratory, and social characteristics. We learned how the separate groups differ in all these aspects, to the point of having different vocalizations. Even allowing that the subject is intrinsically interesting, Howard's considerable talent made the presentation memorable.
Friday, Jan. 1, 2010 Field Trip
New Year's Day with the Eagles
Susan Bennett reports that the trip yielded a good number of eagle sightings, despite the dodgy weather. She has a good writeup in the January Shorelines.
Saturday, Nov. 14. Field Trip
Crockett Lake, Fort Casey and the OLF.
Fierce cold wind from the North Pacific blew through the Strait and over Keystone Spit to separate the hardcore birders from the daytrippers. Two visitors from Portland and one of Joe Sheldon's former students joined our doughty band as we surveyed the avian wildlife. There was a good variety in attendance and Gary Piazzon, our trusted leader, identified two peregrine falcons of the Peale's form. At the other end of Crockett Lake, a northern shrike presented itself to an enthusiastic audience.
Thursday, Nov 12, 2009 Meeting
Sarvey Wildlife Center: Birds of Prey 
Kestrel Skyhawk, Director of Education at the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center
in Arlington, showed photos of the raptors that live around here and pointed out identification marks. She also explained the work being done at Sarvey and introduced two companions, a red-tailed hawk and a great horned owl. Learning Ms. Skyhawk's personal insights combined with seeing the two live birds up close was a genuine treat.
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Whidbey Audubon Society
PO Box 1012
Oak Harbor,Washington 98277
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