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Skagit Flats prime site to see 13 species of birds of prey
By CHRIS BARRON
SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD
SKAGIT FLATS -- Raptors are on the loose in the Skagit Valley.
These raptors, however, have nothing to do with Jurassic Park. These raptors are birds of prey.
And one of the best places to view them in North America is in the Skagit Valley. More precisely, in the Skagit Flats, just minutes from Mount Vernon and Burlington.
From November through March, 13 daylight species of birds of prey, numbering 600 to 800, inhabit the Skagit Valley, where the winters are mild compared to the arctic regions where many of these birds live during spring, summer and fall.
From bald eagles to rough-legged hawks to peregrine falcons, numerous raptor species migrate south to make Western Washington their winter home. Over the course of the year, 16 species of birds of prey will settle in for awhile.
And although some are harder to find than others, numerous hawk species in the marshy farmlands of the Skagit Flats can be found sitting on power poles and lines, fence posts and barn roofs.
Although the term hawk refers to a specific species of bird, biologists and bird-watchers also use it as a generic term for all daylight birds of prey.
One person who keeps track of the eagles, hawks and falcons is Bud Anderson, an independent raptor biologist from Bow who heads the Falcon Research Group. The non-profit organization, started in 1985, has close to 650 members. It helps track and identify birds of prey in the Skagit Valley as well as other parts of Western Washington.
Recently, Anderson learned that two peregrine falcons he tagged were spotted in Seattle and San Francisco.
"That's what we live for -- to find out where these birds go and try to figure out how far they've come," he said. "So, we have a lot of them around here banded with special black-and-white bands that have special letters on them."
Anderson, 51, is in charge of many raptor projects, including the Seattle Peregrine project, which helps monitor the peregrine falcons, the only endangered bird of prey in the state. The bird was nearly wiped out by use of the pesticide DDT, he said.
Anderson is constantly driving the roads of the Skagit Valley in search of birds of prey, looking for those that already have been tagged and others that haven't. Studying the birds' movements and habits is his life's work.
He recommends it to others as an enjoyable hobby.
"We're just really, really lucky to live here on the Skagit Flats to see the birds of prey," Anderson said. "For example, if you happen to be into falcons, which I am, this is probably the best place in North America to be in the winter, because all five North American species occur here.
"This is one of the best ways to beat the wintertime blahs and that's getting out into the fields and looking at our wintertime hawks."
On a recent week, during a four-hour bird-watching trip around the Skagit Flats, bald eagles, peregrine falcons and red-tailed and rough-legged hawks were spotted.
On one occasion, a bald eagle chased a peregrine falcon from a power pole. After the eagle left, a few moments later that same falcon was pushed out of his perch by a red-tailed hawk.
If lucky, a bird-watcher can spot what Anderson calls "air piracy," a common occurrence in the raptor world. If a larger hawk spots a little hawk catching some prey, the larger hawk will steal it.
"There's a whole order involved in that and the bald eagles are at the top of the line," Anderson said. "There's tremendous competition going on out there."
However big the daylight birds of prey are in the Skagit Flats, a nocturnal bird is drawing the most interest this winter. The snowy owl, which breeds just 100 miles from the Arctic Ocean, has come back to Western Washington in large numbers for the first time in five years and can be seen during the day.
Seven snowy owls were spotted during our recent bird-watching trip.
Little is known about the bird and its patterns. It doesn't migrate to Western Washington with any consistency, Anderson said. This year features the biggest population of snowy owls, an estimate of more than 50, since the 1980s, he said.
"What we do know is in certain years, they show up here," he said. "We never know when it's going to be. . . . This year happens to be a big year. We don't know much about them. We don't know what brings them down or why they come down."
When bird-watching, Anderson emphasized that knowing the proper etiquette of bird-watching is important so as not to disturb the birds or the people that live in the area.
"The No. 1 thing is to stay out of the roads," he said. "You don't want to be in the way of cars and get the locals mad.
"And No. 2, don't disturb the birds. That's tough on them. The birds are trying to make a living out here. Don't stop right next to the bird. Stop 100 yards away. If you make the bird fly, you are too close."
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