Not wanting to miss out on another day of sunshine I headed out to the Tahuya and Dewatto areas for a little birding and some photography. The Tahuya River estuary was full of water as I crossed it about 8:40 and layers of ice were laying slumped on the shoreline as the tide started out. Only a large flock of Barrow's Goldeneyes were on the water. As the river passed under the bridge the thin floating ice rafts broke up in a sound of breaking glass. A couple photos later I headed out to Menard's Landing Co. Park west of Tahuya proper. Along the Canal out to the Great Bend the only waterfowl to be seen were way out in mid-channel due to the amount of ice nearer to shore. It was strange to see ducks and gulls standing on ice across from where the Skokomish River flows into the Canal.

At Menard's Landing a frigid robin sat atop a dead evergreen, waiting for the first rays of sunlight to warm it. Three common mergansers flew off down stream from the bridge and where I had parked. A good size flock of mew gulls stood frozen on the rocks, still too cold to move about much. More common mergansers and Barrow's and common goldeneyes paddled just offshore. A bit closer in a good number of American wigeons swam while others strolled on shore. Off shore were both surf and white-winged scoters, swimming merrily where the sun was already shining. Several photos of frosty stuff and ten cold toes later I headed back to the car and off to Dewatto.

For anyone coming out to Dewatto there is a long detour route still in effect from Belfair. You can actually get out to the end of the road on the south side of the bay but watch for large rocks on the road and road construction trucks in the area. The Dewatto area suffered heavy damage in the Dec storms and the main road from Belfair-Tahuya Road is still out and local traffic must use a 3 mile gravel logging road.

As the tide had started out the grasslands before the bay were covered in a thin layer of ice that had formed on the bay during the night. Heavy frost covered everything on the south side of the bay. But it didn't slow down the waterfowl and dunlins. The dunlin were on a narrow, short island and it was amusing to watch them go around and around the island foraging. "Gosh, this looks familiar. Haven't we been here before?" Further out in the bay quantities of buffleheads, goldeneyes, red-breasted and common mergansers swam on the sunny side of the bay. Further out in the canal were red-necked grebes, common and pelagic cormorants, and a red-throated loon that's been there for two weeks now. (Are we having an irruption of red-throated loons this year?)
At the end of the road on the south side of the bay there is a pigeon guillemot nest site. Two of the five active holes were destroyed when the embankment sloughed away. There is evidence that some other species of bird is making a new nest hole not to far from where the damage is. Perhaps the local pair of kingfishers are making a new home.

On the way back over the Tahuya River bridge (along North Shore Dr) I stopped to see what the receding tide had exposed. A red-tailed hawk perched on a piling eyeing up a spotted sandpiper, about 20 feet away, wondering if it would make a nice snack and if it, too, tasted like chicken. A flock of dunlin shared a bit of mud with several gadwalls and killdeer were everywhere. Meanwhile a pair of bald eagles were working at their mating flight talking to one another all the while. The eagles were too preoccupied with each other to mind the shorebirds.

In all a great morning to be out birding. Thank goodness for long underwear and warm shoes.

Mary Hrudkaj
Belfair/Tahuya
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