Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded several areas from Luhr Beach at the Nisqually Reach to Bowerman Basin with two visits made at the Nisqually NWR along with searching along portions of the Brady Loop Rd. complex to and from destinations. We enjoyed the rather warm weather,although winds at times made temperatures cooler. Our most notable shorebird sighting of the day was flock of 255 Whimbrel in a large grassy field along with 54 Short-billed Dowitchers with a single Red Knot noted amongst this large flock along the north portion of Hwy.12 just east of MP 19(west of Elma). This is the same location we have observed good numbers of Whimbrel in spring migration in past years and is the same exact field my mother and I observed a Ruff on the 17th of November,2002. Our stop was brief along the shoulder at 12:45pm,mainly just to get an accurate count of the birds before continuing west to Bowerman Basin. This sighting makes our largest personal count for an inland location,away from the coast for Whimbrel. Overall we had a good day with several additional highlights,despite NO new spring arrivals such as last week. Other highlights at listed locations follow below:

Red-throated Loon
11 off Luhr Beach

Pacific Loon
3 off Luhr Beach

Eared Grebe
18 off Luhr Beach

Am.Bittern
1 along Foster Rd.(Brady Loop Rd. complex)

Greater White-fronted Goose
2 along Brady Loop Rd.

Wood Duck
1 pair at the Nisqually NWR

Cinnamon Teal
5 at the Nisqually NWR

Redhead
1 pair at the Hoquiam STP

Turkey Vulture
1 at the Hoquiam STP
4 along Foster Rd.
2 along Wenzel Slough Rd.
1 along Wakefield Rd.

Osprey
1 along I-5 north of Lakewood,Pierce Co.
1 at Bowerman Basin
1 pair along Hwy.12 at Montesano

Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 near Luhr Beach

Cooper's Hawk
1 at Luhr Beach
1 along I-5 north of Dupont,Pierce Co.

Am.Kestrel
1 female along Brady Loop Rd.

Peregrine Falcon
1 at Bowerman Basin
1 along Foster Rd.

Virginia Rail(heard only)
3 at the Nisqually NWR

Sora(heard only)
3 at the Nisqually NWR

Black-bellied Plover
1 off Luhr Beach on the Nisqually Delta
14 along Foster Rd.

Greater Yellowlegs
4 at the Nisqually NWR
28 along Foster Rd.

Lesser Yellowlegs
2 along Foster Rd.
1 at the Nisqually NWR

Short-billed Dowitcher
68+ along Foster Rd.

Bonaparte's Gull
35+ off Luhr Beach

Common Murre
6 off Luhr Beach

Rhino.Auklet
17+ off Luhr Beach

Band-tailed Pigeon
58+ along Wenzel Slough/Keys Rd. near Satsop
2 at the Nisqually NWR

Purple Martin
10 at Luhr Beach(with at least 4 nestboxes occupied at the Nisqually Reach Nature Center)

Am.Pipit
8 at the Nisqually NWR

Black-throated Gray Warbler
1 at the Hoquiam STP


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net