Kay and I are enjoying one of our nearly annual traditions, spending a night in La Connor, WA Skagit County, with Ron and Linda Bahr.  We come up one day, meet up and get out birding for a few hours.  Then we go to the Channel Lodge, go out to dinner in La Connor, and enjoy the nice rooms there with  a fireplace, comfy bed, and great continental breakfast the next morning.  Then we spend a few more hours on the flats and head home.

Today we came later than usual, due to being up late for the New Year’s Eve celebration last night, so we met here at 1 PM.  Planned to meet for lunch at the Rexville Grocery and Deli for lunch, but found it closed.  I did find a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers behind the grocery though, so the stop was worthwhile.  We had lunch at the Bar and Grill in La Connor, then got out by 2:30 for a couple hours prior to dark.  We just did the Skagit flats and it was pretty slow.  One fly by RLHA, one AMKE eating a bird on the wires, but no other falcons, only one RTHA, lots of BAEA, several NOHA, but just 24 species for the day.   We did see large but not massive flocks of SNGO, and an estimated 950 Trumpeter Swans.

Tomorrow we will sleep in, have a great breakfast, and head north to the Sammish Flats, Padilla Bay, and hopefully find more falcons, raptors and maybe SEOW at the West 90.  Lack of birds did not make it any less beautiful with bright sunshine, a crisp day in the low to mid 30’s, and great friends.

Happy New Year.