Hello Tweets,

My mother and I spent a few hours today checking locations between the Nisqually NWR to Brady Loop Rd., mainly in search of any new shorebird migrants. We began at the Nisqually NWR and continued our way to the Brady Loop Rd. complex with a few stops made on the way and on our way home this afternoon. Overall birding was quite slow,but managed to locate up to two Lesser Yellowlegs at two locations,being a single bird that was again noted at the Nisqually NWR wetland area immediately west of the west parking lot and the second bird was noted along the west portion of Wenzel Slough Rd. just east of Keys Rd. amongst 5 other shorebird species,including our only Long-billed Dowitcher of the day. We checked along Wakefield Rd. as in past visits in search of sparrow numbers,but bird activity was very slow on two visits. Shorebird numbers along Foster Rd. and the overall Brady Loop Rd. complex has seemed to decline,although good numbers of Greater Yellowlegs still remain in the wet,grassy cow field at the north end of the road along with good numbers of waterfowl. Other highlights for the day included the following:

Western Grebe
1 remaining at Vance Creek Co. Park near Elma

Wood Duck
1 male perched atop a deciduous tree near the west parking lot at the Nisqually NWR

Cinnamon Teal
1 at the Nisqually NWR
2 pair along the eastern portion of Brady Loop Rd.

Turkey Vulture
4 along Hwy.12 at Elma
8 along Wakefield Rd. north of Elma
2 along Hwy.12 at Satsop
14 along Brady Loop Rd.
3 along Keys Rd. near Satsop

Osprey
1 along Wenzel Slough Rd.(along the Satsop River)
1 near Vance Creek Co. Park

Am.Kestrel
1 male along Foster Rd.(Brady Loop Rd. complex)
1 female along Hwy.12 west of the Satsop River bridge

Peregrine Falcon
1 along Foster Rd.

Sora
1 actively calling at the Nisqually NWR(with 2 Virginia Rails at the same location)

Black-bellied Plover
8 along Brady Loop Rd.

Greater Yellowlegs
3 at the Nisqually NWR
1 along Wakefield Rd. near Elma
54 along Foster Rd.
2 along Brady Loop Rd.
1 along Wenzel Slough Rd.

Western Sandpiper
8 at the Nisqually NWR
1 along Wenzel Slough Rd.

Least Sandpiper
2 at the Nisqually NWR
8 along Brady Loop Rd.
34 along Wenzel Slough Rd.

Dunlin
27 at the Nisqually NWR

Short-billed Dowitcher
32 along Foster Rd.
3 along Wenzel Slough Rd.(with a single Long-billed Dowitcher)

Band-tailed Pigeon
203 along Keys Rd.(between Wenzel Slough Rd. and Hwy.12)

Mourning Dove
1 along Brady Loop Rd.

Pileated Woodpecker
1 flying along Hey.8 at MP 10(east of McCleary)

Western Scrub Jay
1 along Brady Loop Rd.
1 at Satsop
2 at Elma

Am.Pipit
48+ along Wakefield Rd.

Orange-crowned Warbler
10 at the Nisqually NWR
2 along Brady Loop Rd.

Lincoln's Sparrow
9 along Wakefield Rd.


Mammals:

1 Racoon along Foster Rd.



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net