Subject: Tacoma area migrants
Date: May 7 18:07:34 2002
From: Ruth Sullivan - GODWIT at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

Today I spent a few hours during late morning between 10am-12pm at the
natural area behing the Tacoma Community College(TCC)with several notable
songbird migrants noted,as well as a few additional species from our yard
during the early morning and from this evening after arriving home from the
field birding in Pierce Co. The exact area that hosted the most migrant on
the TCC Campus is located in the northeast corner of the campus,bordering
12th and Pearl Streets. The habitat consists of mixed growth,primarily low
to minor stands of deciduous growth and vegetation that have hosted small
numbers of migrants in past years. The main highlight at this location was a
single male NASHVILLE WARBLER foraging with 3 Orange-crowned Warblers in a
small patch of Water Birch trees bordering 12th Street,which is my second
record of this species in the Tacoma area,with the 1st record from our yard
in May of 1990. A list of several migrant highlights along the several loop
trails within this area follow:

1 adult Cooper's Hawk
2 Hammond's Flycathchers
1 Hermit Thrush
1 Warbling Vireo
6 Orange-crowned Warblers
1 NASHVILLE WARBLER
1 Yellow Warbler
3 Yellow-rumped"Audubon's" Warblers
2 Black-throated Gray Warblers
1 male MacGillivray's Warbler
2 male WESTERN TANAGERS
1 "Sooty"Fox Sparrow
1 Lincoln's Sparrow
14 adult Golden-crowned Sparrows

In our yard on the 6th of May(yesterday)we noted our first male Black-headed
Grosbeak of the season for our yard,being two days earlier than in 2001. The
bird was first observed feeding from on of our three sunflower seed
feeders,then later was observed drinking from our front yard birdbath in the
evening before we left to the WOS meeting. Today like last year we noted our
first SWAINSON'S THRUSH of the season and the year in our yard,being 1 day
early than last year. We also have up to 2 Hermit Thrushes at our
residence,being a high at one time in our yard. Two adult Golden-crowned
Sparrows still remain in our front yard as well , as do other more common
species including:

8 Band-tailed Pigeons
1 female Anna's Hummingbird
3 Rufous Hummingbirds(1 male,1 female,1 immature male)
1 pair of Downy Woodpeckers
1 pair of Northern Flickers
2 Violet-green Swallows
1 pair of Steller's Jays
1 nesting pair of Black-capped Chickadees
2 nesting pairs of Chestnut-backed Chickadees
4 Red-breasted Nuthatches
1 Golden-crowned Kinglet
1 nesting pair of American Robins
1 Song Sparrow
1 nesting pair of Oregon Juncos
6 House Finches
2-3 Red Crossbills
1 nesting pair of Pine Siskins
2 Evening Grosbeaks


Good birding,

Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net