Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded the Elma-Brady area as in previous visits beginning along Foster Rd. at 8am,where the RUFF was again located foraging in a wet,grassy cow field on eastern side along the north end of Foster Rd. The bird remained loosely associating with up to 105 Greater Yellowlegs throughout the day until we last observed the bird at 5:15pm on our way home. The bird was quite easy to locate,as it foraged and preened in the wet,partially flooded field and would occasionally fly around the field allowing good looks at it's U-shaped white rump and white underwings. There were up to 18 birders present different times during the day at the location,as we helped spot the bird as well as other species from the road. Our main highlight of the day however was a breeding plumaged Lapland Longspur amongst a foraging flock of 17 Am.Pipits at the same location,but only seen briefly upon our arrival at 8am. The Lapland Longspur and Am.Pipits were observed feeding on the driest portion of the field and at times were more concealed. This is our first personal record of Lapland Longspur for the Brady Loop Rd. area. Additional flocks of Am.Pipits were observed at the intersection of Foster Rd. and Brady Loop Rd. and along the eastern portion of Brady Loop Rd. with a total of 75 birds noted in two separate flocks. Other notable highlights in the general Brady Loop Rd. vicinity during the day included the following:

1 Am.Bittern(observed at the north end of Foster Rd. in the same field as the Ruff,foraging along a canal)
25 Double-crested Cormorants(flying over Foster Rd. heading west)
2 male Cinnamon Teal
12 Turkey Vultures
1 Osprey
1 adult Cooper's Hawk
1 male Am.Kestrel
1 Merlin
1 immature Peregrine Falcon
35 Black-bellied Plovers
67+ Dunlin
3 Long-billed Dowitchers
54+ Wilson's Snipes
280+ Ring-billed Gulls(including 5 "rose-colored" adults with 8 California Gulls along the eastern portion of Brady Loop Rd.)
2(1 pair)of Barn Owls
1 Cliff Swallow(with increasing numbers of Barn Swallows)
3 Western Scrub Jays
5 Common Yellowthroats
1 Lincoln's Sparrow
1 "Slate-colored"Junco
3 Western Meadowlarks

We made two visits during the day along Wakefield Rd. south of Elma,including one visit made with Matt Bartell(spelling?)and Brad Wilson during the late afternoon between 4:15pm-5pm,where we located on both visits the Spizella sparrow was well observed along the vegetated edges bordering the wet,weedy field that it has remained since early March and the bird does seem to much more elusive,but still visible. The bird seems to have a set area in which it forages,as noted on both visits allowing great views of the bird from different angle and it does seem to be growing more feather into it's plumage,being obviously more paler brown overall with a very strong,distinct facial pattern of a typical Clay-colored Sparrow. The nape remains gray,but during one observation of the bird the rump was a distinct grayish-brown,but later viewed from another location in the field the rump was concealed with a brownish back overall,so we still remain undecided to the bird's exact identity,despite numerous visits to the location. The bird does appear to be more Clay-colored Sparrow than anything else. We also observed a single adult partial albino Am.Robin at the same location with Matt,that showed white-spotted rufous breast and white areas on the rump and tail,with a few photos that were obtained.

Other noted species from other locations during the day included the following:

Western Grebe
1 remaining bird at Vance Creek Co. Park

Wood Duck
1 pair along Hwy.8 at Elma

Cinnamon Teal
2 males along Wenzel Slough Rd.

Osprey
1 pair along Wakefield Rd. near Vance Creek Co. Park

Am.Kestrel
1 along Hwy.12 west of Elma

Band-tailed Pigeon
15 along Keys Rd. near Satsop

Lincoln's Sparrow
12 along Wakefield Rd.

Purple Finch
1 along Wakefield Rd.



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net