Hello Tweets,

Today Sam Agnew and my mother and I birded the eastern portion of Ft.Lewis in Pierce Co. at a few selected locations including Johnson Marsh,Chambers Lake,the Clear Creek Fish Hatchery area then checking the13th Division prairie area near Muck Creek accessed from 8th Ave. S(east of S.R.507 and the East Gate at Ft.Lewis). Despite a few scattered rain showers at times we managed to locate several key highlights for the area with our main highlight being a Great Egret at Johnson Marsh. Due to low water levels this location and nearby Chambers Lake have exposed mudflats,which produced up to 6 species of shorebirds between the two locations. There were and are vast areas of lily pads within the muddy areas that often concealed the shorebirds,but most species remained active by foraging,etc. The most noteworthy shorebird species was Long-billed Dowitcher with good numbers noted at Chambers lake and a few birds at Johnson Marsh among the other shorebird species that were encountered. As we checked other areas at Ft.Lewis in more relatively open areas with some areas that were in great evidence of summer fires we encountered Western Bluebirds that we observed at several locations to be listed below. Our two mammal highlights of the day at Ft.Lewis were a single Western Gray Squirrel at Chambers Lake(in an extensive oak grove that was quite elusive,of which this species is very local in portions of the Ft.Lewis area of Pierce Co.,primarily at this location) and a Coyote east of Nisqually Lake,which is completely dry. After birding with Sam my mother and I headed south to Lewis Co. and checked the Centralia Steam Plant along Big Hanaford Rd.,where we added a few more Long-billed Dowitchers to our day count and a single adult White-tailed Kite with both species being observed east of the actual steam plant operations. On our way home driving along I-5 north of the Scatter Creek Rest Area in Thurston Co. between MP 92 and 97 we noted 3 separate groups of migrating Turkey Vultures in forming kettles with our largest group consisting of 35+ birds at MP 92,then at MP 95 another kettle formation of 20+Turkey Vultures were encountered flying above the tree line west of I-5 presumably flying over the town of Littlerock,then finally north of the Maytown/Millersylvania State Park Exit at MP 97 along I-5 a low flying group of 8 birds were noted flying south. A list of noteworthy species observed at selected locations follows below:

Spanaway,Pierce Co.

1 Western Scrub Jay

Johnson Marsh(accessed from the East Gate at Ft.Lewis)

1 Great Egret
75+ Killdeer
8 Long-billed Dowitchers
48+ Wilson's Snipe
1 Red-breasted Sapsucker
3 Brown Creepers
75+ Am.Pipits
1 Hutton's Vireo
8 Golden-crowned Sparrows

Chambers Lake Rd.(Ft.Lewis)

1 Red-breasted Sapsucker
6 Western Bluebirds
25+ Yellow-rumped Warblers

Chambers Lake(Ft.Lewis)

2 Pied-billed Grebes
3 Wood Duck
55+ Green-winged Teal
1 Northern Pintail
5 Northern Shovelers
2 Bald Eagles
1 Am.Kestrel
70+ Killdeer
5 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Least Sandpiper
2 Dunlin
78 Long-billed Dowitchers
45+ Wilson's Snipe
3 Band-tailed Pigeons
95+ Am.Pipits

East Gate Rd.(Ft.Lewis)

1 Am.Kestrel
20 Western Bluebirds
25+ Yellow-rumped Warblers

Nisqually Lake(Ft.Lewis)

4 Western Bluebirds
12+ Yellow-rumped Warblers

Clear Creek Fish Hatchery(Ft.Lewis)

1 Pied-billed Grebe

13th Division prairie(accessed south of 8th Ave.S at Ft.Lewis)

2 Am.Kestrel
38+ Western Meadowlarks

S.R.507 at Tenino,Thurston Co.(TH)

2 Western Scrub Jays

S.R.507 east of Tenino,TH

1 Pileated Woodpecker

S.R.507 east of Rainier,TH

1 Peregrine Falcon

Big Hanaford Rd.(east of the Centralia Steam Plant,Lewis Co.)

2 Pied-billed Grebes
7 Green-winged Teal
6 Am.Wigeon
1 White-tailed Kite
2 Am.Kestrels
5 Long-billed Dowitchers

I-5 between MP 92 and 97(north of the Scatter Creek Rest Area in Thurston Co.)

63+ Turkey Vultures

I-5 at Olympia

1 Sharp-shinned Hawk

I-5 north of the Nisqually River bridge,Pierce Co.

1 Peregrine Falcon



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net