After the rain stopped at about 11:00 I decided to salvage the rest of the
day by doing some local birding. Highlight of the day was a single drake
BLACK SCOTER at Luhr Beach, this bird finally ended my personal curse with
this species in the county. Also present here was a drake HARLEQUIN DUCK on
the floating log/debris as you look left from the launch. This area near
the first two poles is the only place in the county where I've regularly
seen the species...but I don't get on boats much.

Ended the day with 74 species, I've never seen Nisqually with so much water!
When will the rain stop? The days highlights:

EAST BAY & MARINE VIEW DR:
Com. Goldeneye (1 1st winter male almost finished with molt)
4 Pigeon Guillemot
1 Fox Sparrow (singing)
3 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW "pugentensis" singing (id by song, bill color, and
back pattern)

LUHR BEACH ACCESS:
Horned Grebes (majority are beginning molt, some with red chest already)
3 EARED GREBE (still in basic)
120+ Brant
1 HARLEQUIN DUCK (drake)
1 BLACK SCOTER (drake)
20 Dunlin
1 Rufous Hummingbird

NISQUALLY LOOP:
3 Wood Duck
5 Common Merganser (2 in pairs and a single female)
5+ Bald Eagle (continually sending geese and ducks up in the air)
5 R/T Hawk (the pale juvenile with white chin was seen again)
3 N. Harrier
1 Virginia Rail (heard)
2 Greater Yellowlegs
2 Mourning Dove (near McCallister Creek)
6+ Rufous Hummingbird (hard to count, they were present if salmonberry was
nearby)
2 Pileated Woodpecker
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow (in better numbers today)
7 Barn Swallows
20+ Yellow-rumped Warblers (singing, a few alt. plumage Audubon males)
1 Lincoln's Sparrow
7 White-crowned Sparrow "gambelii" (did not sing, id by bill/back)
50+ Golden-crowned Sparrow (all along the trail edges from McCallister to
Ring Dike)
W. Meadowlark (heard)
1 MINK near the reach lookout platform

Jason Paulios
Jpaulios at hotmail.com
Olympia, WA

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