Subject: [Tweeters] More birding in Tenino
Date: Aug 16 11:48:12 2006
From: wheelermombi at comcast.net - wheelermombi at comcast.net


Hi Tweeters,

After reading Paul Hicks' post concerning his spotting the Red-eyed Vireos in Tenino, and having apparently caught his insomnia, I headed there this morning to try and find this nemesis (for me)bird.

I arrived so early that it was still dark. I was standing under a tree waiting for dawn when I yawned loudly, flushing a flock of California Quail that had apparently been roosting on the tree's branches. They bounded to the ground all around me like big, fat rain drops, making their startled quail sounds and giving me a heart attack.

There wasn't a large number of birds out, but there was a nice amount of variation. The best birding was along the Western Chehalis trail going west from where Mull St. and Churchill Rd. intersect. The species that I saw included a flock of 5 or 6 Black-throated Gray Warblers, 1 MacGillivray's Warbler, 4 Wilson's Warblers, 1 Warbling Vireo and a couple of Hutton's Vireos. This seems like it would be a great place to bird in the spring and early summer. The only disadvantage is the noise from the passing cars from the road that parallels the trail.

I also birded along the portion of the Chehalis Western Trail where Jim Pruske maintains the bluebird nesting boxes (going northwest where Waldrick Rd. intersects Military Rd.). Among the species that I spotted were 6 Western Bluebirds still hanging about, lots of White-crowned Sparrows, 1 Chipping Sparrow, and 1 very cooperative Western Kingbird.

The Red-eyed Vireo eluded me once again.

Good birding,

Lonnie Somer
Olympia, WA
wheelermombi at comcast.net