Hi Tweeters,

After intense negotiations, my son and daughter finally agreed to leave the house on this perfect day on the condition that I didn't drag them to Nisqually or bring my scope along. So we went to Tolmie State Park for the first time in quite a while. I have to admit that the drive there was very disturbing in that most of the formally extensive forest had been converted to dense housing tracts. Anyway, upon arriving at the park we first went to the beach. There were 100+ brants less than 200 feet from the shore. They were all babbling to one another and I realized that I had never heard a brant before; I always seem to spot them in gale force winds or they are too far off shore to hear. Very interesting sound. Mixed in with them were a couple of dozen American widgens. One rosy-cheeked lad was lobbing rocks at the brants, much to the admiration of his 3 siblings and doting parents.

The forest hike did not yield anything unusual, although we did get a nice view of a varied thrush. Lots of the more common birds for this time of year were out, and being very vocal.

Good birding,

Lonnie