Subject: Harris' Sparrow and Wilson's Warbler remain
Date: Jan 2 18:38:41 2002
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

This afternoon my mother and I birded a few hours in eastern Grays Harbor
Co. with improving weather conditions, but a few lingering showers remained
around the Satsop area. Our main highlights were the immature HARRIS'
SPARROW near Satsop(previously found and reported by Betty Jones and others
on the Satsop CBC on the 29th). We looked shortly yesterday on the 1st, but
weather limited our visit during the late morning for this bird. We
relocated it this afternoon on our 2nd attempt, as well as photographed it
for documentation from 2:15pm-2:50pm along West Moore Road. The bird was
found solely by itself during our entire visit, with relatively good numbers
of other sparrows and House Finch flocks nearby in brambles on the south
side of the road, but initially the bird was found foraging in a berry bush
on the north side of the road 2/10 of a mile west of the Moore/West Moore
Rd. junction on West Moore Rd. The bird foraged and actively called in the
berry bush along a small drainage canal for 15 minutes before flying to the
south side of the road into thick blackberry brambles, and other vegetation,
where it was continuously heard calling until we left the location at
2:50pm. This is presumably the exact same location where it was found on the
Satsop CBC, but it was initially found amongst other sparrows, so it can be
found by itself too away from the main sparrow flocks at the crest of the
first hill and where a yellow cattle crossing sign is marked on West Moore
Rd.. This record is our first personal record for WA this far west, making
it one a very few records for Grays Harbor Co. With future attempts this
bird should remain through the winter with appropriate winter sparrow
habitat.

Our other highlight of the day was a WILSON'S WARBLER at 1:35pm in a small
woodlot along Pioneer Road west of the Montesano city limits and 10th Street
on the private property of Silvia Creek Construction Inc. and Roto Tilling,
which can be well viewed from the main road. This individual was also
previously found on the Satsop CBC on the 29th by Chris Chappell, so perhaps
it will remain with minimal effort amongst other songbirds. It was found
within minutes of our arrival, then was joined by an Orange-crowned Warbler,
then a male Townsend's Warbler, which made a four warbler day, which is good
in January. The bird foraged along a woodlot just north of the entrance of
the construction company foraging relatively high in a few Red Alders with
ivy growing amongst them. Several Ruby-crowned Kinglets were also present in
the same vicinity, as we "pished" for increased songbird activity. This is
our first personal winter record for this species, making it a good start
for 2002.

Our additional species highlight list follows at selected locations and
times:

Satsop/West Moore, Moore Rd., and Monte-Elma Rd.(two visits) 12pm-12:30pm,
2:15pm-2:50pm

23 Mourning Doves
2 Varied Thrushes
14 "Sooty"Fox Sparrows
38 Golden-crowned Sparrows
21 White-crowned Sparrows
1 HARRIS' SPARROW
22 Evening Grosbeaks

Brady Loop Rd. 12:40pm-1:20pm,2pm

1 Rough-legged Hawk
27 Black-bellied Plovers
1 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Hairy Woodpecker
3 Western Scrub Jays
2 Yellow-rumped Warblers
13 Evening Grosbeaks

Pioneer Road/west of Montesano 1:30pm-1:48pm

1 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 Townsend's Warbler
1 WILSON'S WARBLER

Hwy.12 between MP 19 and 20(west bound,north side in flooded fields) 3:05pm

3 Tundra Swans
3 Western Sandpipers
37 Dunlin
16 Mew Gulls
1 first-year Ring-billed Gull
1 first-year California Gull
1 adult Herring Gull
3 first-year Thayer's Gulls
1 subadult Western Gull
18 Glacous-winged Gulls
3+ Glaucous-winged/Western("Olympic")Gulls

Vance Creek County Park/Wenzel Slough Rd. 3:15pm-3:35pm

27 Tundra Swans
1 male Eurasian Wigeon
12 Canvasbacks(5 males, 7 females)
220+ Ring-necked Ducks
17 Greater Scaup
56 Lesser Scaup
2 Common Snipe


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net