Hi Tweeters:
The area of flooded fields where the Tufted Duck and possible Iceland Gull
are is north of S 212th St on the west side of the valley where S 212th
becomes Orillia Rd. It is west of Boeing Ponds. It is hard to find parking
spots along 212th, and traffic can be bad on week days. It might be better
on the weekend. Yesterday, on a day when it never stopped raining once!, we
found the only viewing of the Tufted Duck in the large "lake" (flooded
field) to be from S 204th St, which is a hard-to-see road on the east side
of Orillia Rd as it starts up the hill. This road goes down the hill past a
cemetery. At the bottom there is a mail-box turn-around (please don't block
these) where we parked and viewed with scopes. Looking SE out across the
lake about t 1/4 mile, the bright black & white duck was actively diving
with some Ring-necked Ducks. In the backround we could see large piles of
dirt that are to the south of S 212th. We couldn't see the tuft on its head
for some time, but finally were able to see it.
The road down there is flooded. We went back up to Orillia, took a right,
and another right on S 200th, and came down to the Boeing Ponds area. We
turned south on 59th Ave, and at the intersection of 59th Ave, and S 212th,
there was a group of large gulls in a muddy field. This is where Charlie
saw the very-white, possible Iceland Gull.
Charlie Wright, his mom Katy, and I wrote an article called Kent Valley
North that is in the present WOS newsletter (WOSNews #100). It is a site
guide called Kent Valley North. I put in the directions and milages, and
Charlie and his mom put in the maps. The map on top w/ Boeing Ponds shows
the area with the productive flooded fields. On the Kent-Auburn CBC on Jan
1, 2006, we noticed that the really large duck and goose populations were in
these fields in the valley. This might be because there is no hunting in
the area, unlike areas farther south at S 277th.
Yesterday, I could relate to Wayne Weber's discription of W WA being a "vast
swamp". The Green River is staying about the same with the river being at
the top of its banks. But the fields are flooded, and yesterday it was
obvious the water had risen quite a bit in the fields (in one day). The
"Fishing Hole Park" on Meeker next to the river in Kent had flood waters
about 2 feet up on the sanicans. The park was gone, under the waters...
If you have WOSNews #100, check out all the pix and articles. If not, join
WOS at www.wos.org It's cheap at $20. per year. There are great field
trips. There are site guides too.
Yours, Carol Schulz
DesMoines


----- Original Message -----
From: "Charlie Wright" <c.wright7 at comcast.net>
To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 7:27 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Kent Area rarities: Tufted Duck, Iceland Gull


> Today I relocated the Tufted Duck that Steve Mlodinow and Jessie Barry
> recently found in the Kent Valley. The bird was about 5 miles nw of where
> they found it at Smith Brothers on 8 January. Today it was in the
> excessively flooded fields between 204th Street and 212th Street, as seen
> with a scope from 204th Street just below the cemetery. It was diving
> constantly with a flock of Ring-necked Ducks and a single Redhead. By all
> indications the bird is pure, in spite of its somewhat pathetic tuft. The
> spot is loaded with dabblers at this time including perhaps 1000
> Green-winged Teal and many more pintail.
>
> Later in the day I located an adult gull with white wings in a dirt/grass
> field nw of the intersection of 212th Street and 59th Place. This gull
> flock
> also frequents the fields in which the Tufted Duck is now located. This
> particular gull has an extremely cute facial complexion, almost like a Mew
> Gull, relatively long wings, a dinky and truncate-looking greenish bill,
> light brown-yellow irides, and a stunningly pale mantle. The outer
> primaries
> could have some faint gray wash, but if so it is less than 1% saturation,
> and I could not make it out in the given conditions. The head is not
> streaked, but lightly washed with a subtle brown-gray. It appears to fit
> well for a pale extreme Iceland Gull. Kumlieni or glaucoides? Search me.
>
> Also during the day: 2 Trumpeter, a Tundra Swan, and a Redhead at
> Smith Brothers; 3 Tundra Swans, 2 Redheads, and 7 Canvasbacks at the south
> end of Frager Road; and a Short-eared Owl at Kent Ponds. There were also 3
> leucistic (dilute-plumaged) Canada Geese in a dirt field near Boeing
> Ponds.
> The main portion of the valley's wintering Cackling Goose flock was not
> located today, but on 1/1/06 I had 800 in the area as well as 2 Greater
> White-fronted Geese.
>
> Charlie Wright
> Bonney Lake, Washington