WOS

Bellingham - September 9-12, 2005

The 17th Annual WOS Conference will be held at the Best Western Lakeway Inn and Conference Center in Bellingham, Washington, from Friday, September 9th through Monday, September 12th. Field trips, led by local and experienced birders, will be conducted on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The conference also features interesting local speakers who will address topics relevant to the Bellingham/NW Washington area on Friday and Saturday evenings. Vendors will be present.

FIELD TRIPS

In order to optimize the birding experience for participants, there will be car-pooling for all field trips. WOS will reimburse field trip drivers who carry at least three people in addition to themselves at the current federal government mileage rate. If you have a Washington State Park pass or a WDFW parking sticker please bring them. For the cross-border trips: 1) be sure to bring positive i.d., a passport is best, and 2) be prepared to purchase lunch during the trip to avoid border food issues. Unless noted in the description, all field trips will depart from the Best Western Lakeway Inn at 6:30 am.

PELAGIC TRIP IN THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS - A birding and natural history tour aboard the 65-foot vessel “Snow Goose." The trip will start with a tour through the Whatcom Waterway to learn about local salmon restoration and sediment cleanup efforts by the Port of Bellingham and Georgia Pacific; next, travel across Bellingham Bay to mouth of the Nooksack River where the rich estuarine waters provide prime bird habitat. From there we will cross the Bay and explore along Lummi Island passing the wildlife reserve of Viti Rocks which is a nesting site for gulls and cormorants. Continuing west, we will wind our way along Cypress Island and into the more exposed waters of Rosario Straits to look for pigeon guillemots, rhinoceros auklets and other seabirds. On the return trip we will look for seals and birds on Eliza Rocks before hugging the shoreline of Bellingham and discussing shoreline uses and management.. Limited to (24) participants (subject to a minimum no.).

POINT ROBERTS - Point Roberts – actually a peninsula, not a point – is part of Whatcom County, Washington, but can be reached by land only by way of Canada. Lighthouse Marine Park and Lily Point are two of the best birding spots. Here, especially at Lighthouse Marine Park, deep waters come close to shore, and strong currents bring fish or other edibles to the surface, attracting many seabirds. This is one of the best places for sea bird rarities in Washington’s inland marine waters. We are likely to see Bonaparte’s gulls, common and Caspian terns, parasitic jaegers, common murres, pigeon guillemots, and rhinoceros auklets, with a possibility of harbor porpoises or orcas. On the beach will likely be black turnstones and sanderlings, and possibly black oystercatchers. In the maturing forest at Lily Point, likely birds include pileated woodpecker, Hutton’s vireo, brown creeper, red-breasted nuthatch, and red crossbill.. Additional stops may be made at Boundary Bay Regional Park in B.C. for fall migrant shorebirds, or the Tsawwassen Jetty for additional species of waterbirds and shorebirds. A passport is a good idea for border crossing. Purchase lunch after crossing border to avoid border food restrictions. Limited to (12) participants.

REIFEL BIRD SANCTUARY -The George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary is operated by the non-profit B.C. Waterfowl Society. The Reifel Sanctuary embraces extensive cattail marshes, diked impoundments (good for waterfowl and shorebirds), agricultural fields, and wooded dikes that are home to many songbirds. Reifel Sanctuary is known for the snow geese, trumpeter swans, and many other waterfowl species that winter here plus the birds of prey that are present. However, Reifel is also noted for shorebirds. In spring and fall, many migrant shorebirds can be seen at high tide in the West Field, Southwest Marsh, and House Pond. Regular shorebird migrants include semipalmated, western, least, Baird’s, pectoral, sharp-tailed (rare), and stilt sandpipers (the last three mostly in fall), and both dowitchers. Reifel is one of Vancouver’s three top spots for shorebird ultra-rarities. Stops at Blackie Spit and/or Crescent Beach Park will be made to look for additional shorebirds and fall migrating passerines, and could include waterfowl and seabirds. Bring $4 Canadian for admission, to be paid to trip leader. A passport is a good idea for border crossing. Purchase lunch after crossing border to avoid border food restrictions. Limited to (12) participants.

MOUNT BAKER - A quest for mountain birds is the order of the day, going east of Bellingham on the Mount Baker Highway (SR542) and entering the North Cascades National Park to walk out one of several forest trails (i.e. Ptarmigan Ridge). Unlike the Mount Rainier ptarmigan sites, there is much less uphill hiking required to reach white-tailed ptarmigan habitat. Birding in the mountains can be quite slow - the birds few in number and often seen briefly at a distance. However, the birding can be quite enjoyable if expectations are not too high! Other mountain species like blue grouse, bald eagle, Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawk, Vaux’s swift, gray jay, horned lark and American pipit are possible too. Expect a beautifully scenic day with a fair chance to find one of the hardest birds to see in the state. Limited to (12) participants.

DRAYTON HARBOR - This trip starts with a walking tour of Blaine Marine Park on Drayton Harbor in Whatcom County, where the focus will be on the fall migration of shorebirds. The tide flats on the north (Semiahmoo Bay) side of Marine Drive often have the low bluff along the edge of the bay. Shorebirding is best near the base of the spit as the incoming tide pushes the feeding birds toward shore. Besides the species expected for Washington’s inland marine shorelines, uncommon species and even rarities are possible. This trip will complete the circuit of Drayton Harbor, ending at Semiahmoo Spit. Limited to (12) participants

TENNANT LAKE AND LAKE TERRELL - Tennant Lake, along the Nooksack River south of Ferndale, is at the heart of a 720-acre tract jointly administered as a county park and a state wildlife area. Varied habitats make this an excellent birding site at any time of year An observation tower and a boardwalk through a cattail marsh to the lake provide opportunities to view green heron, American bittern, waterfowl, and raptors. Other trails run south and west through grasslands, wetlands, and deciduous forest. Lake Terrell Wildlife Area, established in 1947, offers 1500 acres of open water, marshlands, grasslands, and mixed deciduous-coniferous forest. From spring into September you will find a good variety of waterfowl, marshbirds, swallows, and other songbirds. Lake Terrell regularly attracts unusual passerines in spring and fall, among them least flycatcher, Say’s phoebe, bank swallow, house wren, American redstart, and white-throated sparrow. Time permitting, we may work our way north and west from Lake Terrell, past the entrance to Birch Bay State Park and walk the half-mile Terrell Marsh Trail through some of the park’s 193 acres of lowland forest looking and listening for the unusual woodpecker and fall migrating passerines Limited to (12) participants.

SKAGIT AND SAMISH FLATS - The Skagit Flats and the adjacent Samish Flats in Skagit County form a floodplain where fertile soil and ample rainfall provide for a thriving farming industry. A wide variety of habitats, mild temperatures, and a profusion of food makes this area home to nearly 300 resident and migrant bird species. Although birding is interesting all year, one of the best seasons to bird is during fall migration (mid-July through September). The Skagit Wildlife Area on Fir Island, a 12,000 acre marsh, tideland, and estuarine preserve, offers several access points for viewing Skagit specialties. The Game Range consists of a series of dikes, fields, and marshes intensively managed for waterfowl and upland gamebirds. A two-mile loop trail follows the dikes from both parking areas, weaving through hedgerows, deciduous forest, fresh and saltwater marshes, and farm fields. Fall passerine migration (mid-August through September) is as good as anywhere in Western Washington. At the Jensen Access of the Skagit Wildlife Area we will check the fields at the intersection and along the access road, excellent for fall shorebirds and American Pipits. Parking by the dike at the end of the road, we can access the dike and saltmarsh to the south. Among other species of shorebirds, pectoral, sharp-tailed (rare), and stilt (uncommon to rare) sandpipers have been seen in the marsh. The Samish Flats are one of the best locations in the state for winter raptor viewing. The area is intensively covered by birders, so it is no surprise that many unusual records have occurred here, including falcated and tufted ducks, Iceland gull, tropical kingbird, clay-colored sparrow, rusty blackbird and orchard oriole. More records of cattle egret (fall to early winter) come from the Samish Flats than from any other Western Washington locality. At the Samish Unit of the Skagit Wildlife Area, known to birders as the West 90, we will check the fields southwest of this corner where state wildlife managers have created a series of shallow ponds that have shown promise for waterfowl and fall shorebirds. Continuing north on the Samish Island Road we will check Alice Bay, one of the last corners of Samish Bay to fill at high tide. Western, least, Baird’s (rare), pectoral (rare) and semipalmated sandpipers have been seen in fall migration. Limited to (12) participants.

WHIDBEY ISLAND - Whidbey Island offers fine Western Washington birding in a magnificent setting at the top of Puget Sound. The moderate climate gives rise to a variety of habitats including bays, rocky and sandy shorelines, tidal mudflats, salt marsh, upland forests, freshwater lakes, remnant prairies and shrubby thickets. This wide variety of habitats supports nearly 250 resident and migrant bird species. One of the most productive times to bird Whidbey is during fall (late July through September) migration. Crockett Lake is outstanding for shorebirds in fall (mid-July through September). Common species include black-bellied and semipalmated plovers, killdeer, both yellowlegs, spotted, Western, least, Baird’s, and pectoral, sandpipers, dunlin, both dowitchers, Wilson’s snipe, and red-necked phalarope. Whimbrel and sanderling are fairly common. American and Pacific golden-plovers, American avocet, solitary sandpiper, black turnstone, red knot, sharp-tailed and stilt sandpipers, ruff, and Wilson’s phalarope are uncommon to rare. A stop at the west end of Penn Cove has a rocky and sandy shore that is one of the most accessible examples of this habitat type left within the inland marine waters of Washington. Rock-foraging shorebirds are present much of the year: black turnstone, and surfbird are common, ruddy turnstone is fairly common in migration, and rock sandpiper occur occasionally. From West Beach Road, at the intersection with Hastie Lake Road, is a parking area and boat launch on the left providing an excellent point from which to view the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca and the many seabirds associated with the bull kelp groves that thrive just beyond the low-tide line. Rarities like yellow-billed loon and king eider have been seen here. black oystercatchers sometimes use the cobble-and-boulder beach. West Beach road continues north and descends a hill to beach level at a spot called Swantown, with a small lake and salt marsh on the right. Looking out over the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, there is a high probability of seeing seabirds year round – especially large numbers of loons, grebes, and ducks (including harlequin and long-tailed). We will look for sanderlings on the beach and Caspian terns offshore. Bos Lake and the surrounding salt marsh (aka Swantown Lagoon), east of the road, are notable for migrating shorebirds, gulls, and terns. In fall migration Bos Lake is an important shorebird stopover, second on the island only to Crockett Lake for numbers and species diversity. Limited to (12) participants.

DIGISCOPING - An introduction to Digiscoping, including a discussion of the equipment used, successful techniques, resources for additional information, and in the field tutoring. Please come equipped with your digital camera, spotting scope, a way to attach the camera to the scope, and a good working knowledge of your camera. Limited to (8) participants.

SPEAKERS

Friday night: Joe Meche, “Welcome to Whatcom County”
Whatcom County and the surrounding area, reaching up into British Columbia are notable for having a variety of habitats and a rich birdlife. Joe is an active member of North Cascades Audubon as well as being an officer and active on several committees. He is very knowledgeable about the area and will provide us with an overview that will acquaint us with the geography and birds we will be seeing during the conference.

Saturday night: Terry Wahl, “A Perspective on the Birds of Whatcom County and Surrounding Waters Over the Years”
Terry Wahl is well known to WOS members for his long-running pelagic trips out of Westport, for his bird guide with Dennis Paulson that helped many of us find many of the great bird areas in Washington, now as one of the co-editors for the recently issued Birds of Washington. Terry also is one of the people who knows the birds of Whatcom County and the surrounding vicinity in great detail. He will share this knowledge and some thoughts on the birds of the area with us as our keynote speaker on Saturday night.

MEALS

Meals include box breakfasts and lunches on Saturday and Sunday and a served banquet dinner on Saturday evening. If you order both breakfast and lunch, we recommend you bring a back-pack or bag to carry your boxes. Prices include tax and gratuity.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Rooms have been set aside for conference attendees at the Best Western Lakeway Inn and Conference Center, 714 Lakeway Drive, Bellingham, WA 98226, phone 360-671-1011, toll-free 888-671-1011, www.bellingham-hotel.com. Conference attendees must make their own reservations by contacting the University Inn. You must mention the WOS conference room block to obtain the special $79 rate.