Hello Tweeters,



I headed over to the Olympic Peninsula today with my dad, mostly for hiking,
with a little birding thrown in. I was lucky enough to spot a small pod of
orcas from the Edmonds-Kingston ferry, close to the Edmonds side about a
mile south of the ferry terminal. First time I've seen orcas in Puget
Sound!



Most interesting birds of the day were two Pine Grosbeaks, in Olympic
National Park, about 200 yards up the aptly-named Switchback Trail
(trailhead is on the road to Hurricane Ridge, a few miles below the ridge
visitor's center). The weather was unpleasant, rainy and very windy, so we
barely went half a mile up the trail. The only other things we saw or heard
on the trail were Varied Thrush, Raven, Gray Jay, and Winter Wren.



Lower down, we stumbled upon another treat - three Hermit Thrushes in one
small bush, with a single Varied Thrush, at a pullout along Lake Crescent.



Waterbirds seemed sparse, though there were good numbers of White-winged and
Surf Scoters at various sites along the coast.



Good birding,

Matt Dufort