Subject: [Tweeters] North Mason Co Birding & Mt Quail
Date: May 1 16:25:29 2005
From: hrudkaj mary - hrudkajm at hotmail.com


This morning, wanting to take advantage of the foggy scenery and needing to
do some birding, I headed out toward Tahuya, Dewatto and points north from
there within north Mason County. Not an impressive list of species but some
interesting sightings and birding behaviour were experienced.

At the Tahuya River bridge on North Shore Rd. mom and dad Bufflehead paddled
about with their 8 new offspring. This is the first I've ever seen their
little ones, little puffs of black and white learning the finer points of
swimming. Above the filled estuary (high tide time) a northern rough-winged
swallow spent several minutes chasing a killdeer about the landscape.
Despite being one-tenth the size of the killdeer the swallow put the fear of
God into the killdeer as it flew a foot or so away. Having no where to
alight or escape the speedy swallow the killdeer seemed to tire first and
finally flew to the opposite side of the bridge where a bit of mud was open.

Out west of Tahuya proper at Rendsland Creek there is a small park that is
always good birding. Six brant roosted on a minute islet with a dozen or so
dunlin as the tide came in. Harbor seals snorted and cavorted nearby as
more killdeer, apparently nesting in the gravel bar in the creek, called and
did their broken-wing display. Several common mergansers paddled about
idly.

On the road to Woods Lake, at Rodney White slough, orange-crowned,
black-throated gray and MacGillivreys warblers made themselves known.
Beside the road at the slough female rufous hummingbirds plucked billsfull
of willow down for their nests. What wonderful, soft nests those will be.

Over at Dewatto Bay the tide was full in when I got there. Bank swallows
darted in and out of their nest holes in the bank above the road along the
waterfront. Further down the road, at the sand bank, pigeon guillemots were
coming and going from several nest holes above the road. Out on the water
the two dozen or so guillemots called continuously and often displayed their
red mouth interiors.

Further meanderings brought me to Blacksmith-Tahuya road which is always
good for flycatchers this time of year. Sure enough, an olive-sided
flycatcher called from atop a nearby evergreen tree. It took afront to my
playing its call on CD and did a couple fly-by's making sure I wasn't a
threat. I'm sure it felt quite smug and powerful when I left, knowing that
it had again protected its perch from interlopers. I did not find any
Pacific-slope or Hammond's flycatchers on this road yet this season but it's
still early.

Lunch time and increasing Sunday driving traffic brought an end to the day's
travels and home I went. Now I sit hear listing to the cacophony of birds
at the feeders.

The mountain quail are becoming more regular feeding here. Between 6:25 and
8:00, again between 11:00 and noon, and between 5:00 and 7:00pm they are
coming to the feeding station in the yard. Saturday must have been their
hanging out day as they were here about every half-hour throughout the day.
Anyone wanting to come out and try for mountain quail just drop me a line,
visitors are welcome.

Mary Hrudkaj
north Mason County/Belfair
hrudkajm at hotmail.com