Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded the Elma-Brady area with several noteworthy sightings to mention between Wenzel Slough Rd. to the Brady Loop Rd. complex. The weather remained quite good with just a few scattered rain showers and calm conditions during the beginning of the day with heavier rain showers towards the end of our visit. We were able to relocate the "Thick-billed"Fox Sparrow again at the previous location along Keys Rd.(south of Hwy.12)during two visits beginning at 10:20am,then again at 1:45pm before conditions really turned wet. The bird remained quite elusive and shy during both visits staying within in thick brambles,but allowed good,but brief views. Of special note we were able to hear the bird call for the first time in 4 visits giving a distinctive metallic "tink" or "chink" similar in quality to that of a White-crowned Sparrow. The call note was easy to seperate and was much different than the nearby "Sooty"Fox Sparrows that actively called and sang from the brambles patches.

Away from the "Thick-billed"Fox Sparrow our main highlights were a single 1st winter plumaged Glaucous Gull and a pair of Sandhill Cranes observed in flight along Keys Rd. immediately after arriving to the sparrow location,as both species circled overhead. The Glaucous Gull was first noted,then the Sandhill Cranes appeared flying in from the west then briefly circled over Hwy.12 just north of where we stood along Keys Rd. Within 5 minutes both species went there separate ways with the Sandhill Cranes drifting westward again towards Brady Loop Rd. and the Glaucous Gull flying eastward towards Elma. We were unable to relocate the Sandhill Cranes upon our visit to the entire Brady Loop Rd. complex,but figured they could be in almost any wet field or perhaps they kept moving west. The Glaucous Gull was relocated amongst a gull flock(upon further searching on our way home)in a partially flooded field along the north side of Hwy.12 just west of Elma. We were able to obtain photographs of both species and possibly a few more photos of the "Thick-billed"Fox Sparrow that will be soon developed. The "Thick-billed"Fox Sparrow was very briefly seen yesterday by us,but due to rather windy conditions the bird never came into open view and remained hidden in dense cover. During our visit yesterday our Nikon D70 fell down onto the ground as it stood on our tripod covered by our umbrella,so it will be replaced since we had insurance on it. In the meantime we'll be taking photos with our Nikon N80 that uses film.

Many areas along the center and western portion of Wenzel Slough Rd. were still fairly flooded hosting good numbers of waterfowl including good numbers of Green-winged Teal,Northern Pintail,Mallard,Am.Wigeon and Northern Shovelers with smaller numbers of other waterfowl species. A few areas along the Brady Loop Rd. complex are fairly flooded along with areas along nearby Schafer Boom Rd. A list of highlights noted at the following locations and times follows below:

I-5 at Nisqually,Thurston Co. 8:50am

3 Turkey Vultures
1 Peregrine Falcon


mouth of Perry Creek along Madrona Beach Rd.,TH 9:20am-9:30am

1 Horned Grebe
1 Turkey Vulture
4 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Spotted Sandpiper


Keys Rd.,Grays Harbor Co. 10:15am-10:50am,1:45pm-2pm

2 Sandhill Cranes
4 Turkey Vultures
1 adult Cooper's Hawk
1 1st winter Glaucous Gull
100+ Band-tailed Pigeons(numbers at this and nearby locations should increase through May)
3 Rufous Hummingbirds
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
2 male Common Yellowthroats(our personal first of the season)
7 "Sooty"Fox Sparrows
1 "Thick-billed"Fox Sparrow
18 Red Crossbills(observed flying north over this location yesterday)


Wenzel Slough Rd.,GH 10:55am-11:30am

1 pair of Cinnamon Teal
4 male Eurasian Wigeon
3 Turkey Vultures
1 pair of Osprey(at a nestsite)
2 Northern Harriers
1 adult Peregrine Falcon
17 Greater Yellowlegs
3 Wilson's Snipe
1 Savannah Sparrow


Brady Loop Rd. complex,GH(including Schafer Boom Rd.) 12pm-1pm

6 Wood Ducks
1 Eurasian"Common"Green-winged Teal
1 Turkey Vulture
2 Northern Harriers
4 Am.Kestrels
2 male Ring-necked Pheasants
6 Black-bellied Plovers
26 Greater Yellowlegs
10 Dunlin
1 Cliff Swallow
1 Barn Swallow
6 Savannah Sparrows
3 "Sooty"Fox Sparrows
4 Western Meadowlarks


Moore Rd.(near Satsop),GH 1:15pm-1:30pm

6 Greater Yellowlegs
2 Western Scrub Jays
1 Purple Finch
2 Evening Grosbeaks

Mammals:

64 Roosevelt Elk(observed loafing at the edge of a wet field along Moore Rd.)



Good birding,

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