Subject: Elma/Satsop/Brady trip
Date: Jan 10 20:24:05 2003
From: Tim and Kerri - kertim7179 at centurytel.net


Hello Tweeters,

I have been reading the digests for quite awhile now and have recently bumped into a few of you in the Elma area. I live in Elma and go out birding quite often. So I thought I would start posting what I see...

I took a short drive on this gorgeous day (January 10, 2003) around the Elma/Brady/Satsop area and here is what I saw:

Vance Creek County Park - Elma at 8:44am on the southern pond that lies just east of the airport there were Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Eurasian Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, American Coot, and Lesser Scaup. A female Northern Harrier flew over the field adjacent to the pond while I was scoping the ducks.

>From there I continued down Wenzel Slough Rd., the highlight being my second sighting of the White-tailed Kite, which was perched on top of an alder tree in the tree-line that borders Vance Creek. I did get to see the Kite hover high above the grassy field and then slowly dive down towards the grass. It pulled up at the last moment aborting its dive. Other birds seen along Wenzel Slough Rd. include Mallard, Dark-eyed Junco, Stellar's Jay, American Robin, Song Sparrow, N. Harrier, N. Flicker, Great Blue Heron, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Raven, and Trumpeter Swan.

I then headed up Keys Rd. to the former Satsop Nuclear Plant, where I spent awhile viewing the hundreds of ducks that had taken refuge in the plant's mitigation pond. Species seen at the pond include Mallard, Northern Pintail, Bufflehead, Ring-necked Duck, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, and Eurasian Wigeon.

I finished off my drive with the Brady Loop Rd., the highlights being two different raptors that were perched on top of telephone poles. On the west side of the Loop, I observed an immature Bald Eagle on a pole. The eagle wasn't phased by cars driving under it at all. I moved on around the Loop to find a Rough-legged Hawk on another pole near the intersection of Brady Loop Rd. and Foster Rd.. Other species seen along the Loop include Mourning Doves, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, N. Shoveler, N. Pintail, N. Flicker, Canada Goose, and Trumpeter Swan.

On the way back home, I drove down Moore Rd. in Satsop to see if by chance the Ruff was still there, but alas it was not. Overall it was a great day of birding.

Tim O'Brien
Elma, WA
mailto: kertim7179 at centurytel.net