Hello Tweets,

This afternoon we spent just a few hours birding in the Elma-Brady area of eastern Grays Harbor Co.,where birding was quite slow with just a few highlights to mention. The weather was quite good during most of our visit with some heavy rain showers that blew over at times,but the biggest downfall was the near constant wind that dampened our searches for passerines. Our main highlight of the day was a VESPER SPARROW briefly observed in a grassy field along Brady Loop Rd.(just south of Foster Rd.)with many Savannah Sparrows noted nearby. Compared to our last visit to this area we noticed the great decline in most waterfowl and shorebird species,but we did locate one flock of shorebirds that flew into a wetland area west of Foster Rd. This flock contained Black-bellied Plovers, dowitchers and "peeps",but a closer examination of the flock was unwarranted due to the distance and the flock being on private property. Additionally, we located the 2 Barnacle Geese associating with 2 Canada Geese in a wet grassy field along Schafer Boom Rd. We also encountered 2 Whimbrel in this same large,wet,grassy field. We located a few other Canada Geese along the Brady Loop Rd. complex and only one large flock of Greater White-fronted Geese flying north over Hwy.12. We estimated the flock contained approximately 150+ birds and were also viewed by Connie Sides,as her and her husband were on their way to Westport. We also looked briefly for the Eurasian Collared Doves in the extreme northeast corner of Brady Loop Rd.,but were unable to locate the birds as they remain elusive and the windy conditions at the time probably didn't help.

Other notable species encountered along the Brady Loop Rd. complex included the following:

1 pair of Cinnamon Teal
8 Turkey Vultures
1 Osprey atop a nestsite along Brady Loop Rd.
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 Western Scrub Jay
1 pair of Yellow Warblers
8 Golden-crowned Sparrows

Before birding the Brady Loop Rd. complex we birded the lush riparian area surrounding Friend's Landing,where a small assortment of passerines were noted. A list of the most significant species noted from this location included the following:

1 Osprey
1 Greater Yellowlegs
3 Least Sandpipers
3 Northern Rough-winged Swallows
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Red-breasted Sapsucker
2 Hermit Thrushes
3 Warbling Vireos
3 Black-throated Gray Warblers
4 Wilson's Warblers
1 Golden-crowned Sparrow
2 Purple Finches
4 Red Crossbills
3 Evening Grosbeaks

Lastly, our only Am.Kestrel of the afternoon was noted along Hwy.12 west of Brady Loop Rd. At least 3 of the Am.Kestrel nest boxes within the Brady Loop Rd. complex are occupied by Starlings.



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Fircrest,WA
godwit513 at msn.com