Hello Tweets,

This afternoon between 12:40pm-2:45pm my mother and I again checked several shorebird locations in the Kent-Auburn area as previously reported and located several addition to our past visits including a single Solitary Sandpiper observed at the detention "ponds" accessed from 59th Ave. S immediately north of the Boeing Plant and the Pacific Gateway operations office. This location includes a total of 4 separate detention/mitigation "ponds" with the "pond" that hosted the Solitary Sandpiper containing water in it currently along with extensive vegetated margins for cover,hiding etc. that was dry last week. The entire location is excellent and should be checked more consistently through the fall and is very accessible to the public along with the detention "ponds" on the east side of the Boeing Plant north of 212th Street South. that hosted a few shorebirds this afternoon. We began the afternoon at the Thomas"pond" along 72nd Ave. SE at 12:40pm-1:30pm,where we encountered a total of 8 species of shorebirds including our main highlights below:

1 juvenile Semipalmated Plover
2 Lesser Yellowlegs
2 juvenile Semipalmated Sandpipers
28 Western Sandpipers
17 Least Sandpipers
2 adult Pectoral Sandpipers
2 Long-billed Dowitchers

We were also joined by Marv Breece during the latter portion of our stay,before we headed north to check shorebird areas near Kent. We briefly checked the "old" Kent Ponds(GRNRA)accessed along 64th Ave. S,where water levels seemed higher than last week so shorebird numbers were very minimal of just a few species. Highlights noted at this location included the following:

16 Pied-billed Grebes
1 Osprey
1 Virginia Rail(heard only)
20 Am.Coots
3 Spotted Sandpipers
3 Least Sandpipers
5 Long-billed Dowitchers

A list of highlights located at the Boeing area "ponds" accessed from two locations north of 212th Street S include the following:

5 female Hooded Mergansers
2 Greater Yellowlegs
5 Lesser Yellowlegs
1 Solitary Sandpiper
5 Spotted Sandpipers
13 Least Sandpipers
3 Long-billed Dowitchers


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net