Subject: Thanksgiving Day birding
Date: Nov 28 17:21:22 2002
From: Ruth Sullivan - GODWIT at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I enjoyed a partial day of birding from the Gog-le-hi-te Wetland along the Puyallup River to Dash Point Park in Pierce Co.,mainly to enjoy the holiday out in the field,which we normally do. We began out in partial fog,but skies cleared completely by 12pm. We began at the Gog-le-hi-te Wetland checking all the gull flocks over before birding our way at a few stops to Dash Point Park,then on our way home made second visit along S.R.509 along the Hylebos Waterway between the Tyee Marina and East11th Street. Our main highlight was still remaining numbers of ANCIENT MURRELETS off the public fishing/crabbing pier at Dash Point Park with a total of 33 birds counted during our 2 hour visit between 1pm-3pm,as we encountered 3 seperate birders during our visit including a local birder named Hans from Twin Lakes,who arrived soon before we left and we all enjoyed our closest observation of 2 Ancient Murrelets within a close range of 10 yards,before the birds continued further out into the East Passage. The largest group of Ancient Murrelets we encountered at one time was 9 birds,with smaller flocks of 2-7 birds observed between 60-70 yards offshore at the farthest range. Another highlight was being able to hear a single Ancient Murrelet about 30 yards offshore repeatedly giving it's short,relatively high pitched call note. The other birders that ALL observed several Ancient Murrelets enjoyed seeing them through our spotting scope,which was still much needed even with good back lighting conditions to see the main key field marks. We also observed and photographed a single an immature Red-necked Grebe that was persistantly close to the pier and was first observed pecking at a close drifting wood board in the water,then as the board drifted further offshore and was away from the drifting fishing/crabbing lines the bird hopped onto the board and drifted for a few minutes on it before drifting back close to shore with a group of 9 Surf Scoters,which of the behavior was quite interesting as the bird seemed to act like the board was a floating nest like we have personally encountered observing this species in notherneastern WA on breeding grounds.

After 3pm Hans joined us on our way home at a few pulloff locations along S.R.509(Marine View Drive)south of the Tyee Marina in search of shorebirds that we previously located before arriving at Dash Point,which for shorebirds increased in numbers as the tide conditions were falling. We located a single SPOTTED SANDPIPER while scanning the floating logbooms close to shore,which is always a highlight to encounter in the late fall/winter,and especially good to get on any CBC in the south Puget Sound or anywhere in western WA with usually single birds if any reported. Hans and my mother and I also observed a flock of 60+ Dunlin roosting on the farthest submerged logbooms,which were observed at two locations,but more readily counted from the second pulloff we checked south of the Tyee Marina. Upon futher searching we also relocated two small groups of Least Sandpipers with a total of 13 birds from two locations that along with up to 9 Black Turnstones that of both species were observed actively foraging on the submerged logbooms within identfying range,as they would creep and forage in and out of viewing by feeding on either side of logbooms. Another single Spotted Sandpiper was lovacted further south of the Tyee Marina along a rocky stetch of exposed shoreline along S.R.509. Our last species of the day was a single male Eurasian Wigeon amongst a flock of 90+ Am.Wigeon in the sheltered lagoon just north of East 11th Street observed froma pulloff off of S.R.509,which was previously reported by Marv Breece on the 23rd. A list of main highlights for the day included the following at selected locations:

Gog-le-hi-te Wetland/Lincoln Ave. 11:30am-12:15pm

1 Cooper's Hawks
3 Red-tailed Hawks
1 Wilson's Snipe
6 Herring Gulls
80+ Thayer's Gulls
3 Western Gulls
1 Lincoln's Sparrow


S.R.509 south of the Tyee Marina to East 11th Street(two visits) 12:30pm-12:45pm,3:15pm-3:40pm

1 male Eurasian Wigeon
2 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS
9 Black Turnstones
13 Least Sandpipers
60+ Dunlin
400+ Bonaparte's Gulls
1 first-winter HEERMANN'S GULL(roosting with a large flock of 450+ Mew Gulls)
1 Hairy Woodpecker(heard only)

Dash Point Park 1pm-3pm

1 Red-throated loon
4 Pacific Loons
3 Brandt's Cormorants
2 Black Scoters
5 Bald Eagles(3 immatures,2 adults)
33 Ancient Murrelets


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net