Tweets - following the glowing reports from Charlie Wright and Patrick
Sullivan, I headed out to the McCutcheon Rd. wetland near the village of
Alderton (near Puyallup), Pierce Co. this morning. Quite a few other birders
found those reports intriguing, so there was quite a turnout! I had been
planning to make it a short visit, but interesting things kept showing up:

Shorebirds:
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper (both giving great close comparative looks)
Killdeer
Solitary Sandpiper 2 I think - nice views
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Common Snipe

Non-shorebirds:
Cinnamon Teal Shy drake
Wood Duck
Hooded Merganser
Northern Harrier Nice male twice flushed the shorebirds
Red-breasted Sapsucker 2 - pair?

Best surprise:
PURPLE MARTIN Flew low overhead, heading south. Had 5 swallow
species as well, plus Vaux's Swift.

Just a little north on SR162, at the south end of Puyallup:
American Kestrel

At the Emerald Downs big puddle (west of the stands) I had scope views of ducks
and shorebirds. Lots of the same stuff as in Alderton, but also:
5-7 PECTORAL SANDPIPER

Not a bad morning

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland WA
== hummer at isomedia.com