Hello Tweets,

Today we checked a few shorebird locations in Lewis Co. beginning along Big Hanaford Rd. near the Centralia Steam Plant(east of Centralia). We located a nice assortment of shorebirds foraging in a drying pond area east of the actual steam plant facilities,which were all observed along he shoulder of the road. Here, we located the following noteworthy species:

11 Northern Pintail
1 Am.Wigeon
2 Cinnamon Teal
3 Pied-billed Grebes
1 Am.Kestrel
3 Greater Yellowlegs
5 Lesser Yellowlegs
1 Spotted Sandpiper
3 Semipalmated Sandpipers
5 Western Sandpipers
4 Least Sandpipers
2 Baird's Sandpipers
8 Long-billed Dowitchers

After birding along Big Hanaford Rd. we drove south and east to Riffe Lake via Hwy.12 and checked both ends of the lake for any available shoreline for shorebirds. Due to high water levels at the west end of the lake(accessed along Swofford Rd. near Swofford Pond north of the town of Mossyrock). A quick check at the east end of the lake(accessed from the town of Glenoma)lake levels looked more promising,but still quite high with only very minimal shoreline and muddy areas available. Non-shorebird highlights encountered from both these locations consisted of the following:

1 immature Green Heron
8 Turkey Vultures
8 California Gulls
4 Northern Rough-winged Swallows
3 Warbling Vireos
8 Black-throated Gray Warblers


On our way home we made a short stop at a wide shoulder along S.R.7 just west of the town of Elbe in Pierce Co.(east end of Alder Lake). Here with some muddy shoreline areas visible at the mouth of the Nisqually River up to 8 Baird's Sandpipers and 3 Western Sandpipers were encountered,as well as up to 2 Harlequin Ducks and 8 Common Mergansers resting along the sandy shoreline of the main portion of the river.


Our main dragonfly highlight of the day was small numbers of Western Meadowhawks observed at Swofford Pond,which are very confined in western WA to Lewis Co.

Our mammal highlight of the day was a family of 5 River Otters at Swofford Pond.



Good birding,

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