David is referring to Thomas Pond, which is no longer. Some may recall that it was dug the summer of 2003 and offered some pretty fine shorebirding that fall. It was filled with water later that fall and hasn't seen much in the way of shorebirds since. But it was a sad thing last week to watch this pond being drained, then filled with boulders and covered over.

Thomas Wetland should be here to stay. Two weeks ago there were GREAT BLUE HERON, AMERICAN BITTERN and GREEN HERON there on the same day. By the way, the loop that Frontage Road makes as it passes Thomas Wetland is a very good place to look for GREEN HERON. This time of year I see them nearly every morning either at the wetland or at the mitigation ponds adjacent to Certainteed Windows nearby.

Marv Breece
Seattle, WA
----- Original Message -----
From: David White
To: Tweeters
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2005 8:12 AM
Subject: [Tweeters] Spotted Sandpiper breeding at Thomas wetlands, Auburn


This morning I checked out the Thomas wetlands in Auburn (east frontage road to hwy. 167, at 277th St. S), to see if there were any migrant shorebirds. No luck in that regard, but there was one Killdeer, and an adult Spotted Sandpiper with at least 3 fuzzy youngsters darting in and out of the weeds on the little island in the pond.
Unfortunately, a large portion of the marshy grassland just north of the Thomas wetlands has been graded and is being compacted; a sign indicates that the property is "available"--for commercial development, that is, and no longer for wildlife.
It is my understanding that the Thomas wetlands are a "mitigation" project; I know it's important to be grateful for any little natural spot that ends up with protection; and I also know that lots of birds will congregate in any amenable spot. Maybe they're even easier for us to see, when that's the case--consider, for example, the Boeing Ponds. But I do wonder how effective tiny isolated bits of habitat are, in the bigger picture, and I wonder how "mitigation" projects are calculated.
Are we getting a reasonable trade-off when a few hundred acres of seasonal marshland are sacrificed in exchange for a couple of acres of ponds?
David White
Santa Fe NM/Auburn WA
drmwhite at nets.com



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