Hello Tweets,

Today Dave Hayden, and my mother and I birded in Grays Harbor, Thurston, and
Mason Cos. at a few locations, as well as searched three seperate periods
during the day for the Rusty Blackbird along Nisqually Cut-off Rd., along
with several other birders during two of our visits, as well. We did NOT
relocate the Rusty Blackbird today, despite fairly extensive searching at
various points along Nisqually Cut-off Rd., and the location where the Rusty
Blackbird was originally seen north of the IFA Nursery Inc. property, but it
is still possible that the bird could still remain in the area, despite
somewhat fluctuating blackbird flocks compared to flocks present during our
visit on the 21st. It is also possible that the bird was seen after we left
at 12:15pm to check the Brady-Elma areas of eastern Grays Harbor Co., but
upon arriving briefly on a final check at 3:45pm we did locate the possible
same roosting flock of blackbirds and Starlings along Nisqually Cut-off Rd.
as noted earlier during the day, but they soon flew off towards a possible
roost near Nisqually NWR. Overall the blackbird/Starling flocks were a third
the size that we noted on the 21st, but we do know the birds may wander
widely through the Nisqually valley.

Away from attempting to relocate the Rusty Blackbird, we birded several
locations, as the weather seemed to improve throughout the day by staying
mostly cloudy, but turning windy late in the day. We ran into Bob Sundstrom
along Brady Loop Rd., and exchanged a few sightings along with observing the
WHITE-TAILED KITE at various vantage points along Brady Loop Rd., which was
probably our best bird of the day, as it seems to move around within the
general area. A list of highlights noted at additional areas follows:

Nisqually Cut-off Rd. 8:25am-8:50am, 10:45am-12:15pm, 3:45pm

43 Killdeer
3 Dunlin
33 Am.Pipits
16 Western Meadowlarks
11 Brown-headed Cowbirds(mixed in with the Red-winged/Brewer's Blackbird
flock)

Eld Inlet/mouth of Perry Creek 9am-9:15am, 10:30am(incoming tide)

64 Black-bellied Plovers
80+ Dunlin
1 Herring Gull

Kennedy Creek Estuary, Mason Co. 9:25am-10:10am

2 Eared Grebes
22 Black-bellied Plovers
64 Western Sandpipers
2,800+ Dunlin
34 Bonaparte's Gulls
18 California Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
4 Thayer's Gulls
3 Western Gulls

Brady Loop Rd., Grays Harbor Cos.(GH) 1pm-2:30pm

10 Tundra Swans
3 Ring-necked Ducks
1 WHITE-TAILED KITE
1 light-morph Rough-legged Hawk
1 female Am.Kestrel

Wenzel Slough Rd./Vance Creek County Park, GH 2:35pm-3pm

1 Canvasback
47 Ring-necked Ducks
32 Lesser Scaup
1 female Am.Kestrel
13 Black-bellied Plovers
2 Western Sandpipers
220+ Dunlin
1 California Gull
1 Herring Gull
1 Western Meadowlark


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net