Hi Tweeters,

Rahne and I took a trip to Grays Harbor today to look for the White-tailed Kite and Tropical Kingbird. We didn't find the kingbird, but we did find the WHITE-TAILED KITE at Ocosta Third Street. In that area, we also got good views of some Common Snipe and Greater Yellowlegs, as well as a mystery duck we initially identified as a FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCK, hanging around some shovelers and mallards in the shallow ponds on the corner of Ocosta Third Street and Atlantic Avenue. I'm very tentative on this, so I'd be happy to hear what you think: the bird was very ruddy compared with the female shovelers and mallards, and showed a white tailband on a wedge-shaped tail when it flew away. It also had a dark bill, and the whole bird seemed smaller than the mallards around it. Looking at the photo though, it looks more like a dabbler, so could it be a Mallard x Cinnamon Teal, or some kind of aberrant Mallard?

We weren't able to get a photo until 4pm, and it was in the shade - in reality the head and breast were much brighter. The photo is at: http://www.christinevadai.com/Recent/FUDU.jpg

Other pictures from today:
A Marbled Godwit with a few Willets at the Tokeland Marina: http://www.christinevadai.com/MAGOWILL.jpg
Two Brown Pelicans in a wave that flew by us at the jetty in Westport: http://www.christinevadai.com/BRPE2.jpg
A few Canvasbacks at the Bowerman Basin: http://www.christinevadai.com/Recent/CANV.jpg
A shot of the White-tailed Kite, flying: http://www.christinevadai.com/Recent/WTKI.jpg
Another shot of the same kite, hovering: http://www.christinevadai.com/Recent/WTKI2.jpg
A Red-tailed Hawk on a post: http://www.christinevadai.com/Recent/RTHA3.jpg
One of three Muskrats in the ponds near the duck mentioned above: http://www.christinevadai.com/Recent/MUSK.jpg

Regards,
Christine Vadai
Mill Creek, WA
christinevadai at sprynet.com