I had a fantastic day of birding today in Thurston, Pierce, and King
Counties. First stop of the day was a brief stop at Tolmie State Park near
Lacey. There was a flock of about 150 Pine Siskin, with a single COMMON
REDPOLL mixed in. Offshore were large numbers of Pacific Loons, and a few
Eared Grebes and Brant. Nisqually NWR produced 20 or more Snow Geese, 1 dark
HARLAN'S HAWK, and a Black-bellied Plover. Mounts Road, which is the exit
just north of the Nisqually one, was again extremely birdy. No Pine
Grosbeaks this time, though a few Evening Grosbeaks and Red Crossbills were
flying around. The two highlights were an SY Golden-crowned x White-crowned
Sparrow HYBRID, and an apparent RED FOX SPARROW, or perhaps a Red x Sooty
intergrade type.

Next I birded the Kent Valley. The large flock of pintail is still at Smith
Brothers along West Valley Hwy, and now has lots of wigeon also, including 7
Eurasian (4 males, 3 females). An imm. female Peregrine was sitting on one
of the telephone poles. Four swans (unidentified) flew over. I headed to
scan the swan field off the south end of Frager Road, and located 19
Trumpeter Swans there. This is more than I've ever seen in the valley. A
scrub jay was at the traditional historic bridge site along Frager Road.

At Kent Ponds there was an SY RED-SHOULDERED HAWK sitting above the grassy
knoll on 64th Ave. It was flushed by a group of crows, but luckily landed
above the constructed wetland for a few digiscoped shots. There were three
scrub-jays all together in the overgrown area just east of 64th along the
powerline trail. There were almost no waterfowl in the ponds, for whatever
reason.

I spent the rest of the afternoon, from 1:40 to 5:00, working over the gulls
at Renton. It wasn't a great evening for it, due to blasts from the airport
and relentless eagles, but eventually the numbers did build up at the river
mouth. No Slaty-backed Gulls showed up this time. The 2nd cycle Kumlien's x
Thayer's intergrade, or whatever you wish to call that bird, made an
appearance. I also had the 2nd cycle Glaucous Gull, and a new (to me) first
cycle Glaucous x Herring Gull hybrid (Nelson's Gull). There was a very
bright Orange-crowned Warbler along the Cedar River, but I wasn't able to
locate the Palm Warbler.

That's about all

Cheers and good birding!
Charlie Wright
Bonney Lake, Washington