Hello Tweets,

Today we spent a few hours looking for shorebirds in both Pierce and Thurston Cos. We began at the end of Mounts Rd. in southern Pierce Co.,where we scoped across the available shorebird habitat during the incoming high tide. Highlights here included a juvenile RED KNOT,which was a personal Pierce Co. species for us and one that we would have never have expected at this location. Red Knot is a very rare species for Pierce Co. with under 5 records to date of which we are not aware of any in recent years. The bird foraged by itself in muddy areas "scopable" from the road before becoming hidden behind a rise in the land. Other shorebirds at this location included 5 Semipalmated Plovers, a single Baird's Sandpiper, 60+ Western Sandpipers and approximately 10 Least Sandpipers. 4 Red Crossbills were also present at this location in a patch of trees nearest the end of the road.

We also birded along the McAllister Creek trail at the Nisqually NWR,where shorebird diversity was improved from our last visit but still quite slow considering the vast habitat. Shorebird numbers and species included the following:

6 Killdeer
3 Greater Yellowlegs
4 Lesser Yellowlegs
3 Semipalmated Sandpipers
240+ Western Sandpipers
12 Least Sandpipers
1 Baird's Sandpiper
4 Long-billed Dowitchers
7 Short-billed Dowitchers

The lingering GREAT EGRET was again present along the McAllister Creek trail immediately south of the photo blind resting calmly in the wetland area. Other notable sightings at the Nisqually NWR included the following:

30 Northern Pintails
3 Northern Harriers
1 Common Raven
1 Red Crossbill


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Fircrest,WA
godwit513 at msn.com