Inspired by the recent reports from Tim O'Brien and the Sullivans, I decided to spend the day birding parts of Grays Harbor County. My main goal was to try and see MOUNTAIN QUAIL and displaying SOOTY GROUSE, so the spot to get to was Weyerhaeuser road A2300 since the sitings have been from there. I arrived at my destination about 15 minutes before sunrise and parked near an older clear cut area and got out of the pickup. A NORTHERN PYGMY OWL was tooting in the distance, and soon grouse were also calling. As I walked up the road about 100 yards a SOOTY GROUSE flushed from the road side. Since it was now light I drove to road A2302 and continued up hill to its end, and noticed two MOUNTAIN QUAIL moving slowly away from me, affording very good but brief looks. I then proceeded back down to road A2300 and heard a grouse calling very close by. The bird turned out to be in a small alder right next to the road, so using binoculars only I had some very nice views of this
grouse calling.

For the remainder of the trip I stopped by Bowerman Basin in Hoquiam, the Brady Loop Road, and briefly at the Nisqually NWR. Some of the highlights were:

MOUNTAIN QUAIL - Satsop area (Weyerhaeuser Road A2302)

SOOTY GROUSE - Satsop area (several sites along Weyerhaeuser Road A2300)

MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER - Weyerhaeuser Road A2300

BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK - Weyerhaeuser Road A2300 and Nisqually NWR

CINNAMON TEAL - Nisqually NWR

RUDDY TURNSTONE - Bowerman Basin

RED KNOT - Bowerman Basin

COMMON TERN - 11 birds along the harbor shoreline near the Hoquiam Sewage Ponds

EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE - Brady Loop

MOURNING DOVE - Weyerhaeuser Road A2300

BAND-TAILED PIGEON - Weyerhaeuser Road A2300

WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE - heard calling at Nisqually NWR

PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER - heard calling along Weyerhaeuser Road A2300

SWAINSON'S THRUSH - many calling and singing along Weyerhaeuser Road A2300

GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW - 1 bird seen at Bowerman Basin

WARBLING VIREO - birds heard along Weyerhaeuser Road A2300 and at Bowerman Basin

Cheers and Good Birding;



Michael Fleming

Ballard, WA

michaellf AT myway.com

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