Hello Tweets,

This afternoon my mother and I spent 2 hours between 2pm-4pm checking a few of the local shorebird locations available in the Kent-Auburn area with a few highlights of note to mention. The most notable highlight noted was 2 adult Pectoral Sandpipers and a single juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper at the Thomas "pond" along 72nd Ave. SE(accessed from 277th Ave.)near Auburn. We obtained many photographs of the Semipalmated Sandpiper that was well viewed at close range foraging mainly by itself with several Least sandpipers nearby with similar feeding behavior noted. Other species of note at this location included:

10 Western Sandpipers
37 Least Sandpipers
3 Long-billed Dowitchers

Further north we checked several areas at Kent including the "old" Kent Ponds area and two detention pond areas near the Boeing Plant facilities(north of S 212th Street),which both hosted a few species of shorebirds noted during two visits. Our main highlights were 5 Greater Yellowlegs and up to 7 Lesser Yellowlegs counted that allowed very close observations and excellent comparisons between the two species. Other species of note encountered from the detention/mitigation "ponds" near the Boeing Plant included the following:

1 adult Green Heron
5 female Hooded Mergansers
1 immature Red-tailed Hawk
1 male Am.Kestrel
7 Spotted Sandpipers
4 Least Sandpipers
1 Bank Swallow
17 Bushtits

Nearby to the south at the "old" Kent Ponds(GRNRA)accessed along 64th Ave. S we observed a flock of yellowlegs that were flushed up by a Peregrine Falcon that contained 3 Greater Yellowlegs and 5 Lesser Yellowlegs,so it seems migration between the two species is very apparent. Other species of note at the "old" Kent Ponds included the following:

17 Pied-billed Grebes
2 adult Green Herons
1 pair of Ruddy Ducks
1 Osprey
1 Virginia Rail(heard only)
18 Am.Coots(including a single family with 5 young)
4 Spotted Sandpipers
6 Least Sandpipers
3 Long-billed Dowitchers
1 Vaux's Swift
2 Belted Kingfishers



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net