A rather funny story...after work today I headed out to look for the Least Flycatcher on Tietzel Road near the Centralia steam plant. I parked at the small pull out at mile marker 3 and had to listen very carefully for a few minutes to pick out the song. I then sighted the bird near the top of one of the trees in the pasture on the west side of the road. Life bird for me!

Next I drove just a bit further south on Tietzel Rd. to a clearcut on the left side of the road. I pulled into the gated gravel road here. I started hearing what I first thought was Western Bluebirds in the clearcut so I went back to my car to lock it up so I could walk into the cut. Well, I locked my keys in the car. Doh! Luckily, I belong to a motor club so I gave them a call and it didn't take long to be back in the car. While waiting, I soon discovered my would-be Western Bluebird calls were a single Purple Martin in the sky above. I watched it for about 20 minutes and it seemed to be favoring an area of dead snags at the top of the clearcut. Perhaps we have a nesting bird here.

Anyways, I left that spot to head home and stopped by Melville St. near Grand Mound. I saw and heard one Lazuli Bunting on top of tree about halfway down the street. I didn't find the Chat though. It was probably the wrong time of the day to hear it singing.

Thanks to Bill Shelmerdine and Paul Hicks for the reports on the Least! A life bird always makes up for getting locked out of your car!

Tim O'Brien
Elma, WA
mailto: kertim7179 at yahoo.com



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