Tweets,
Thursday ~11:00 I observed the Mountain Bluebird reported earlier this week
by Rick Mraz and Keith Brady at the Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve west
of Littlerock. DIRECTIONS: From Littlerock go straight west (past church &
gas station) to the "T" a the top of an incline. Turn right onto Waddell
Ck(/Mima Mounds) Rd. After ~1mile look for signs on the right pointing left.
Park at the end of the narrow paved drive and enter the prairie. This is the
NE section. LOCATION: Walk the longer loop trail toward the SE section of
the prairie (~10-20 minutes). It was actively feeding a few feet off the
ground among a cluster of short-cut stumps not far from the fir-lined east
perimeter. (Keith saw it once atop one of these firs.) There are several
blue markers in the vicinity. It was located roughly in line between the
pale green pumphouse with electric meter way out to the west (toward the
hills) and the dark green house with brown trim closeby to the east (toward
the N-S Waddell Ck/Mima Mounds Rd). Further south is a handsome dark-brick
ranch home with white trim. ~1/4 mile south is Bordeaux Rd which runs E-W
off the hiway. This is a vast area and a scope would be helpful. (There are
several bluebird boxes along a fenceline at the far west/southwest edge of
the prairie, but I did not have time to investigate.)
Good birding!
--Paul Hicks
Tenino, so. Thurston Co
phicks AT accessgrace.org