Greetings
Cameron Cox and I birded all day in the south Puget Sound area. It was a
quite enjoyable day, plenty of birds all over the place.

Friday, 26 December 2003 (8:30am-4:50pm).
King, Pierce, Thurston County - 94 species.
Mostly cloudy; one light shower; fairly light wind.

Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park, Renton (8:30-9:20):
Canvasback (2)
Ring-necked Duck (10)
Greater Scaup (12)
Lesser Scaup (200)
Ring-necked Duck x Scaup hybrid (1m): This bird, found by Cameron on 24
Dec., was studied really well in Lk Washington offshore of Duck
Island in the flock of Lesser Scaup. In general it blended in with
the scaup quite well. The angled, swept back head shape was just
like a RNDU. The bill had a prominent white subterminal band, but
lacked any white stripe at the base or along the edges. The back was
much darker than any scaup, but clearly vermiculated unlike any
Ring-necked. On casual observation, the flanks appeared all white,
but when we looked closer, the main flank patch was a few shades
grayer, barely contrasting with the pure white "spur" of a RNDU.
Common Merganser (20)
Pied-billed Grebe (3)
Horned Grebe (8)
Red-necked Grebe (1)-not common in Lake Washington.
Eared Grebe (4)
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull (35): High number; two birds showed an interesting feature of
one iris black, and one yellow.
Thayer's Gull (2)
Western Gull (4)
Glaucous-winged Gull (300)
Gl-winged x Western (200)
possible Gl-winged x Herring (1-1W)
Anna's Hummingbird (1m)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (2)

Cedar River estuary (9:30-9:45):
Hooded Merganser (1m)
Eared Grebe (2)
Western Grebe (500)
California Gull (2)
Herring Gull (10)
Thayer's Gull (3)
Western Gull (1)
apparent Gl-winged x Glaucous Gull (1-1W)

Nisqually NWR, Thurston County (10:00am-2:00pm):
ROSS'S GOOSE (2)
Canada Goose (900 Cackling)
Eurasian Wigeon (3m)
Ring-necked Duck (12)
Bald Eagle (2)
Northern Harrier (8)
Red-tailed Hawk (14)
HARLAN'S HAWK (1 dark juv)
Rough-legged Hawk (1 light morph)
Virginia Rail (2)
Greater Yellowlegs (1)
Dunlin (10)
Long-billed Dowitcher (5)
Wilson's Snipe (7)
Hairy Woodpecker (1)
BARN SWALLOW (2m)
Marsh Wren (35)
American Pipit (2)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (3-Myrtle)
Fox Sparrow (2)
Song Sparrow (50): 1 partial albino bird, with extensively white head.
Lincoln's Sparrow (9)
SWAMP SPARROW (1)-nicely viewed in marsh behind visitor's center, responded
very well to pishing.
White-crowned Sparrow (40): Majority pugetensis; why haven't they left?
Golden-crowned Sparrow (40)
Western Meadowlark (10)
Purple Finch (2)

Gog-le-hi-ti vicinity, Tacoma (2:30-3:00):
Mew Gull (4)
Ring-billed Gull (10)
Herring Gull (22)
Thayer's Gull (400): no juveniles.
Western Gull (12)

Marine View Drive logbooms (3:10-3:20):
Surf Scoter (5)
Common Goldeneye (10)
Barrow's Goldeneye (30)
Common Merganser (120)
Brandt's Cormorant (160+)
Mew Gull (500)
California Gull (15)
Herring Gull (3)
Pigeon Guillemot (8)

Brown's Point, Pierce County (3:30-3:50):
Surf Scoter (10)
Red-breasted Merganser (10)
Red-throated Loon (1)
Common Murre (15)
Pigeon Guillemot (10)
Marbled Murrelet (6)
Rhinoceros Auklet (20)

Dash Point Fishing Pier (4:00-4:20):
Surf Scoter (15)
White-winged Scoter (6)
Black Scoter (1m)
Red-breasted Merganser (30)
Red-throated Loon (13)
Pacific Loon (1)
Red-necked Grebe (35)
probable Clark's x Western Grebe hybrid (1): Bill color nicely between
Western and Clark's, face pattern was quite good for Clark's. Black
line along the nape, and white along the flanks seemed intermediate.
Brandt's Cormorant (20)
Pelagic Cormorant (1)
Common Murre (6)
Pigeon Guillemot (1)
Marbled Murrelet (2)
Rhinoceros Auklet (15)

Saltwater State Park, Des Moines (4:40-4:50):
White-winged Scoter (25)
Surf Scoter (60)
Common Loon (1)
Eared Grebe (1)
Anna's Hummingbird (1)

Cheers and good birding,
--
Charlie Wright
Sumner, WA
charlie at birdwright.com