Tweeters,

In my "backyard" wetland off the Chehalis Western Trail, there has been what all deduction leads me to believe is a hybrid MALLARD x SPOT-BILLED DUCK visiting on a regular basis for at least the past week. He shows much similarity to the hybrid mallard x black duck, but has the black upper mandible with the distinct and sharply-bordered yellow tip and small black spot. The duck has been making his appearance just around sunset in the northwest corner of the pond. I haven't been successful taking a picture of it due to it's late-day, low-light arrivals.

If you'd like to try finding it, to get to the wetland, locate the Chehalis Western Trail gravel parking lot off Martin Way (between Sleater-Kinney & Lilly), then walk north on the trail a few hundred yards until you encounter a wetland on the east side of the trail. I call it "Blackwater Slough," I'm unsure if there are any other official names out there. Walk to the northwest corner and wait for the bird to fly in around sunset. He'll usually hang around for a while before disappearing into the swamp. This is also an excellent and accessible place for after-work birdwatching this time of year, as it sports adjacent hardwood and fir/hemlock forests, swampland and some lawns. It's great for the frequent townsend's warbler, common close-up views of unflighty pileated woodpeckers tearing up the pondside trees, abundant varied thrushes in the adjacent woods, and at times I have counted the sunset arrival of over 200 ducks in one evening. After having lived nearby it for !
a year,
the species list is nearing 100 birds.

Joe Dlugo
Olympia