Greetings everyone! Good news, Brad and Jan have checked in and all appears to be going well on their current trip into the field. Luckily I had several years of Spanish so I could translate their message. Although at the ready, we will hold off on sending our lawyers guns and money. Not much really to relay from the Intrigued HQ beyond a personal highlight of getting in my first 7 miles road run since the ankle surgery. Not pretty by any means, but it means the hard work is finally paying off and on the trajectory to the end of the year 100 miler goal (crap, did I say that out loud – forget you saw that).
I do need some help from my birding friends familiar with the Northwest. The Canine Performance Events Agility Nationals are being held in Auburn, Washington at the end of May and I am looking for advice on good places to bird in the area. This is my first time visiting there in non-official work capacity and want to make the most of the birding opportunity. We are still planning our route, but it looks like the southern trek through Wyoming-Utah-Idaho-Oregon-Washington out and then across Washington-Montana-North Dakota-Minnesota back in order to catch Glacier NP. Any recommendations are welcome, but the Oregon/Washington hotspots are my main focus right now as that is the biggest opportunity for lifers for the trip. If you have some, feel free to drop those in the comments or I can send you out my email address if you prefer a more direct communication. Thanks in advance!!
Let’s not keep you waiting any longer and get you right to today’s featured feathered friend.

Quite the splash of color on this specimen eh? Hit the jump to learn more about our thin-bill waterfowl.
Continue reading Sawbills – and Call for Help