While checking out storm damage in the Tahuya area I stopped at my usual place at the Tahuya River bridge on North Shore Rd. I was amazed to find eight bald eagles feeding on whatever on the shore just down river from the bridge. There was one dirty adult, one almost adult with as many dark as white feathers in its tail and six immatures, no white showing anywhere and very dark beaks on all. I didn't see much in the way of dead salmon for them to be feeding upon so there must have been who knows what that washed downstream from last Monday's flooding. I've never seen so many bald eagles there in these past five plus years of birding Tahuya.

If you don't mind driving on dusty and muddy roads you can make it all the way out to Menards' Landing County Park beyond Tahuya proper. It's a great place for waterfowl this time of year. The flood took its toll on the little park and there is less and less of it all the time. The one little parking area is quite muddy and the larger lot a bit further from the trail is being used as a dumping site for gravel that was on the road after the storm.

In the area of Belfair State Park (closed for the future due to storm damage) there were thousands of wigeons, scaup, merganser, buffleheads and other fowl too distant to ID. From the vantage point of the Port of Allyn dock west of the park it looked like one could walk from north to south shore without getting wet if only you didn't drown the ducks as you stepped on them.

Mary Hrudkaj
Belfair/Tahuya
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