Tweeters:

The June 22-23 weekend was a great one for birding in the Sequim area. The
star of the show was a singing CHESNUT-SIDED WARBLER, unfortunately on
private land inaccessible to the public, June 22-23. Although I've never
thought of late June as a particularly good birding time in the wWA
lowlands, once again I find that you just never know.

The CHESNUT-SIDED WARBLER was heard early on June 22 in a inner marsh area
of the Graysmarsh property. Although I was not there to conduct a full-day
survey as I do with Anne Winskie at other times of year, I did have a bit of
time early both mornings before heading out on family activities.

The bird was loyal to the shrubby area next to a small pond; it sang
repeatedly as it foraged, especially from a tall Pacific Crabapple (Pyrus
malus). The first impression of the song is like Yellow for quality, but
the song is shorter and a bit lower to my ear, and notably ends with a
rolling pair of rapid triplets. This bird was a bit odd for the species in
that the crown looked more light green than yellow, and the chesnut streak
was pretty short and did not extend to the flanks--as if a female, yet as
far as I've heard, only males sing.

I arranged for Bob Boekelheide to find the bird, he found it on the 22nd,
Fred Sharpe apparently also saw it with him. When I returned early on the
23rd the bird was still present. This is a first for CLALLAM as far as I
know, but by now we must have about 10-12 records for the state as a whole,
mostly from mid- or late June at riparian sites, but I welcome others'
corrections/comments.

There were plenty of other interesting birds at Graysmarsh:

Red-throated Loon 1 (6/23, basic plumage, rare in summer)
Am. Bittern 1 (flyover near warbler spot 6/22)
Blue-winged Teal 1 (6/22)
Red-breasted Merganser 1 (6/23)
COM. SNIPE 1 (heard winnowing at dawn over marsh, 6/23)
MARBLED GODWIT 6 (public beach access, rare for Grays, 6/23)
W. SANDPIPER 2 (first returners from AK 6/23, beach)
HEERMANN'S GULL 1 (early returner, breeding adult with white head, w/scores
of other gulls on herring ball 6/23)
California Gull--surprisingly good numbers for so early
Rhinocerous Auklet 1250 (all-time high, steady fly-by groups 6/23 from
Protection I. and eastward)
BULLOCK'S ORIOLE 1 (near warbler spot, only second for Grays, 6/23; the
breeding pair at nearby Carrie Blake Park also seen 6/23, this species is
rare and local in Clallam Co)

Other good birds in the area:

On the 22nd in the late afternoon while hiking the Dungeness Spit with
family, I lucked out and found a 1st-summer YELLOW-BILLED LOON about 1.5
miles out, on the Strait side. It was fairly close in and the only other
bird nearby was a similarly-plumaged 1st-summer COMMON LOON. I could not
relocate these when we returned on the 23rd. We have several records of
oversummering Yellow-billed for wWA, but it is still very rare.

Up Blue Mt. Rd, then turning left on Emery eastward, there are a pair of
WESTERN BLUEBIRDS this year at the residence on the south side of the road
(just before Blue Mt. lane). There are a pair of birdboxes there, one has
swallows, the other bluebirds. A nice male of the latter flew up when we
visited around 6 pm June 22. Blue Mt. Rd. is a left turn off 101 heading
westward for Port Angeles, about half-way between Sequim and PA. W.
Bluebird is local in Clallam Co, I'd missed on several recent attempts to
locate them.

Last but not least--my wife Marcella (who was once a pretty regular birder
but not for many years now) provided me with good details on a imm.
WHITE-TAILED KITE she found alone near the Kitchen Dick ponds, just south of
the DRA entrance. She returned to the car well ahead of the rest of us out
on the Spit on the 22nd, because she was chilled, and went into to W. Sequim
for coffee. Coming back to the DRA, she saw a "mostly pale, medium-to-small
falcon-like bird with a all-white tail" motionless/hovering low over the
small farm on the west side of the road just north of the ponds, the hay has
just been cut there. Although the bird was flying away, her other details
were awfully good for kite, which she has not previously seen, but she knows
her local wWA raptors well. This includes male N. HARRIER, one of which she
also saw right at the DRA entrance.

There are a few reports in the last decade for WT KITE in the Sequim area,
including a bird that stayed for a week or two several years back, most or
all reports have been from this general vicinity.

Finally, Bob told me that a GRAY CATBIRD was found June 23 near the old
Dungeness Schoolhouse by an unknown observer, so, all in all, the birding
was just flat-out hot in the Sequim area this last weekend!

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com


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