Hello Tweets, I got out this morning and birded the Brady Loop area. Skies
were partly cloudy and visibility was great. I started on the western
portion of the loop and slowly made my way around. My first highlight was a
single Rough-legged Hawk that was perched on top of an utility pole. I
watched the hawk dive on a female Northern Harrier that had presumably just
made a kill. The hawk took over the kill and the Harrier flew out of the
area. I also had great looks at a first winter male Common Goldeneye that
was on a pond very close to the road. Other waterfowl that were in the area
included Bufflehead, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Northern
Pintail, and American Coot.

Near the intersection of Brady Loop Rd., and Foster Rd., I spotted a Merlin
on top of an utility pole. It allowed me to get my scope on it for some
great looks too. In the same area, a flock of shorebirds was working the
edge of some of the flooded areas of the fields. On the eastern portion of
Brady Loop Rd., I was delighted to see some good numbers of swans. I
counted 26 Tundra Swans and 22 Trumpeter Swans near the intersection of
Willis St. and Brady Loop Rd. The Tundra swans were on a couple different
ponds while the Trumpeters were out in a corn-stubble field. I also checked
out the pond where I had spotted 4 Redhead about a week and a half ago. All
four (2 males, 2 females) were there again mixed in with some Scaup.

I also drove down Moore Rd. which is off the Monte-Elma Rd. in between
Satsop and Elma. There was a large flock of Dunlin and Black-bellied
Plovers out in the field just to the northeast of the railroad tracks. I
also had one American Kestrel and one Western Scrub Jay along Moore Rd..

Good birding and Happy Thanksgiving!

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