Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I checked a few locations from the Nisqually NWR to Brady Loop Rd. despite very slow birding conditions overall along with scattered rain showers and wind at times. Our main highlight of the day was a single Common Teal(Eurasian Green-winged Teal)amongst a group of 4 Blue-winged Teal and 3 Cinnamon Teal along the north-south McAllister Creek trail. Overall shorebird numbers were far less notable compared to our previous visits last week,but a few species were noted during today's "Migration Day". Next,we worked our way to Brady Loop Rd. with a short made near Lacey before a heavy rain shower followed by visit made along Dunlap Rd.(accessed off of Hwy.12 southeast of Elma). Conditions remained quite slow along the entire Brady Loop Rd.,but a few shorebird species and other highlights were noted. A list of noteworthy species observed during the day at selected locations includes the following:

Am.Bittern
1 at the Nisqually NWR

Wood Duck
2 pair at the Nisqually NWR

Green-winged Teal
7 at the Nisqually NWR

Northern Pintail
1 pair at the Nisqually NWR
1 female along Brady Loop Rd.

Blue-winged Teal
6 at the Nisqually NWR

Cinnamon Teal
16 at the Nisqually NWR

Northern Shoveler
1 pair at the Nisqually NWR

Am.Wigeon
6 along Brady Loop Rd.

Bufflehead
6 at the Nisqually NWR(McAllister Creek)
1 along Brady Loop Rd.

Hooded Merganser
2 females(each with 6 young)

Turkey Vulture
1 at the Nisqually NWR
7 along Hwy.12(between North Blockhouse Rd. and Dunlap Rd.)
11 along North Blockhouse Rd.
9 along Brady Loop Rd.

Osprey
1 atop an artificial nesting platform along the eastern portion of Brady Loop Rd.

Northern Harrier
2 at the Nisqually NWR
1 along Brady Loop Rd.

Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 at the Nisqually NWR

Cooper's Hawk
1 flying along I-5 at Ft.Lewis

Am.Kestrel
1 male along Brady Loop Rd.

Ring-necked Pheasant
1 heard only at the Nisqually NWR

Virginia Rail(heard only)
1 at the Nisqually NWR
1 along Brady Loop Rd.

Sora
7 at the Nisqually NWR(5 heard only,2 birds observed)
5 along Brady Loop Rd.(heard only)

Semipalmated Plover
1 along Brady Loop Rd.

Greater Yellowlegs
15 at the Nisqually NWR
10 along Dunlap Rd.
4 along Brady Loop Rd.

Spotted Sandpiper
1 adult at the Nisqually NWR

Whimbrel
17 along the western portion of Brady Loop Rd. foraging in "rolling" plowed fields

Western Sandpiper
45 at the Nisqually NWR
28 along Brady Loop Rd.

Dunlin
13 at the Nisqually NWR
8 along Brady Loop Rd.

Short-billed Dowitcher
1 at the Nisqually NWR
3 along Brady Loop Rd.(with 9 Long-billed Dowitchers)

Caspian Tern
1 at the Nisqually NWR(McAllister Creek)

Band-tailed Pigeon
43 at the Nisqually NWR
205+ along Dunlap Rd.(with the highest numbers foraging in recently plowed fields)
45+ along North Blockhouse Rd.
60+ along Brady Loop Rd.

Purple Martin
4 at the Nisqually NWR(McAllister Creek)

Northern Rough-winged Swallow
8+ at the Nisqually NWR

Western Scrub Jay
1 along Brady Loop Rd.

House Wren
1 singing bird near Lacey

Am.Pipit
14 at the Nisqually NWR

Cedar Waxwing
4 at the Nisqually NWR

MacGillivray's Warbler
3 singing birds near Lacey

Western Tanager
6 near Lakewood,Pierce Co.
1 at the Nisqually NWR

Black-headed Grosbeak
5 at the Nisqually NWR

Bullock's Oriole
1 calling and singing at the Nisqually NWR(Twin Barns)

Purple Finch
5 at the Nisqually NWR

Evening Grosbeak
55+ along Dunlap Rd.(with Am.Goldfinches and Pine Siskins)


At the Nisqually NWR while watching a single Sora along the McAllister Creek trail we ran into Rolan Nelson,who indicated to us he encountered Northern Bobwhites at the Weir Prairie)near the town of Rainier in Thurston Co.)earlier in the morning,with a few birds observed and additional birds that were heard only.



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Fircrest,WA
godwit at worldnet.att.net