Yesterday I decided to bird a few spots in Thurston County in hopes of adding NORTHERN BOBWHITE and HERMIT WARBLER to my year list. The first stop was Lower Weir Prairie (Opperman p. 206) where I had NORTHERN BOBWHITE at about this same time last year. Yesterday, though I had no such luck. A little discouraged I headed off to the Capitol State Forest in search of HERMIT WARBLER which for some reason eluded me last year. I entered at the Rock Candy Mountain Entrance off of Highway 8, and followed the B8000 line to side road B8500 which I then traveled to spur B8510, birding the entire way. On B8500 a few hundred yards from the B8000 line, I had a calling NORTHERN PYGMY OWL come in and land in a nearby evergreen affording great looks. A little later on the B8510 spur road I had close views of several HERMIT WARBLERS that responded to my NORTHERN PYGMY OWL hooting. I finished of the Thurston County trip with a stop at the Nisqually NWR. Highlights of my trip
included:

TURKEY VULTURE - several at Capitol State Forest

BAND-TAILED PIGEON - Capitol State Forest

MOURNING DOVE - Capitol State Forest

NORTHERN PYGMY OWL - Capitol State Forest

OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER - Capitol State Forest

HOUSE WREN - Weir Prairie

VARIED THRUSH - heard at Capitol State Forest

SWAINSON'S THRUSH - Nisqually NWR and Capitol State Forest

GRAY JAY - Capitol State Forest

HERMIT WARBLER, MCGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER, WILSON'S WARBLER - Capitol State Forest

WESTERN TANAGER - Weir Prairie

CHIPPING SPARROW - Weir Prairie

VIRGINIA RAIL - heard at Nisqually NWR



Cheers and Good Birding;



Michael Fleming

Ballard, WA

michaellf AT myway.com

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