Subject: [Tweeters] southern Mason Co. today
Date: Feb 15 19:13:35 2008
From: Tim O'Brien - kertim7179 at yahoo.com


Today, I ventured out into southern Mason county with the hopes of adding some birds to my Mason county life list. Also, I am leading a fieldtrip to the Hood Canal area tomorrow so I did a little scouting as well. I did add two birds to my Mason county list today. The first being an American Kestrel that I found on Beerbower Road near Schafer State Park. It was perched in an open field along the road. The second was a Fox Sparrow, that I found on the Satsop-Cloquallum Road near its intersection with Plug Mill Road.

I visited the lower Skokomish River valley also where I was hoping for swans, but I ended up with a few ducks and gulls instead. Quick stops at and just before Potlatch State Park yielded a great assortment of water birds. Here I found Greater Scaup, one Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Common and Barrow's Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, and Western Grebe.

Singing birds heard today included Hutton's Vireo, Winter Wren and American Robin.

Back near home, a quick drive around Brady Loop and Wenzel Slough Road produced one Red-throated Loon near the south end of Foster Road. This is an unusual location since it was swimming and diving in a flooded patch of trees. A large flock of Canada Geese was present at the same location. Raptors seen included several Bald Eagles, two Northern Harriers, several Red-tailed Hawks, and one American Kestrel. I saw one Greater Yellowlegs on the west side of Brady Loop. Lastly, one Ruddy Duck on the east side of Brady Loop in a flooded field just north of Willis Street.

Until tomorrow...

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



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