Hi Tweets,

I picked up two life birds today. The first being a Chipping Sparrow, which
I found on Fitzgerald Rd. south of Oakville. The road is off Cemetary Rd.
which connects the South Bank Rd. to Elma Gate Rd.. I've been slowly
exploring new roads around the county and this one looked promising because
of the open fields and thinned out stands of large conifers. I parked where
the road curves to the left. Two Chipping Sparrows perched right on the
fence on the left side of the road for me. They were very striking in
coloration with their chestnut colored caps and pale gray breasts.

Later in the day, the family and I went out for a walk at Nisqually NWR with
the intention of seeing the American White Pelicans that have been reported
there in the past few days. I was a bit discouraged by the really low tide
and the amount of heat wave distortion I was experiencing while scanning the
tidal flats. However, after walking on a bit farther on the dike trail, I
noticed a group of rather large white birds swimming towards Luhr Beach.
After moving around a bit more, I finally got a good enough view to confirm
the Pelicans. After walking the trail, we drove to Luhr Beach and got an
even better view of the 10 American White Pelicans. Another lifer! It was
a good day!

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