Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I scouted around eastern Grays Harbor Co.,specifically in from the Oakville area to Elma via Hwy.12 with a few notable highlights that we encountered. Our main efforts were made along the Black River(accessed from Hwy.12 and along Howanut Rd. near Elma-Gate Rd.,which is south of Hwy.12),where our main highlights of the day were encountered during our afternoon visit. We briefly stopped along Moon Rd. along the Black River in southwestern Thurston Co.(west of Rochester),where a single Sharp-shinned Hawk was mobbed by various swallows before flying into thick cover and a single Green Heron was noted flying along Hwy.12 immediately west of the Grays Harbor-Thurston Co. line near the Black River. Extensive searching and walking along Howanut Rd.(south of Elma-Gate and west of Pearson Rd.)produced notable species including the following:

2 Osprey(with 1 observed at a nestsite along Elma-Gate Rd. E)
3 Bald Eagles
8+ Willow Flycatchers
1 pair of Western Scrub Jays
1 House Wren
2 singing male Lazuli Buntings
3 Red-eyed Vireos(heard only)

At the intersection of Elma-Gate Rd. E and Blockhouse Rd. in an extensive Scotch Broom thicket within private property a few additional species were noted before we continued onto Elma including:

2 Willow Flycatchers
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 male Lazuli Bunting
3 Chipping Sparrows

Continuing northwest along Hwy.12 at Porter along the Chehalis River we checked a few locations along the immediate river,which produced our last singing Red-eyed Vireo of the day that was actively heard singing from tall Black Cottonwood trees along the associating Chehalis River. A nesting colony of Northern Rough-winged Swallows, 1 Hairy Woodpecker,2 singing Western Wood Pewees,and 1 Bullock's Oriole were also observed along Hwy.12 in this general area.

A quick stop made at Vance Creek Co. Park near Elma produced the lingering Western Grebe along with a nearby Pied-billed Grebe.

We walked the grassy,wet trail at the Schouweiler Rd. wetland(west of Elma)in the late afternoon,which was quite slow,but a few species were encountered as we searched for dragonflies including the following:

3 Wood Ducks
1 calling Virginia Rail
2 Willow Flycatchers
4 Yellow Warblers
1 singing male Black-headed Grosbeak

Dragonfly species noted during the fairly cool day from several locations with eastern Grays Harbor Co. included the following:

River Jewelwing(Calopteryx aequabilis)
Pacific Forktail(Ischnura cervula)
Cardinal Meadowhawk(Sympetrum illotum)
California Darner(Aeshna california)
Common Green Darner(Anax junius)
Blue Dasher(Pachydiplax longipennis)


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net