Hi Tweets:
A friend and I walked into a new area at Gog-le-hi-te Wetland in Tacoma this
morning, Sun, July 13. There is mud there and we saw a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER !!,
along w/ 2 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, and 18 LEAST SANDPIPERS. There were also a few
KILLDEER. Gog-le-hi-te is a wetland next to the Puyallup River. It is on Lincoln
Ave.
They have dug a new inlet in from the river that is several hundred feet across. The
river there is effected by tides, so the water level in this little bay goes up and
down with the river water. A newly built-up gravel road around 3 sides of it allows
a nice view down into the inlet. It looks like this is a salmon restoration area.
They have planted native plants around it.
We walked in from Lincoln Ave about 9:45am. The low tide of 0.0 was about 8:30am, so
there was plenty of mud.
In the past, I usually would turn right from the main parking lot to see into another
inlet area. But to reach this new area, walk straight ahead with the railroad tracks
on your left. You will first pass a brushy area that has been replanted to natives.
Then you will go past a small marsh where we heard a YELLOW WARBLER, and a COMMON
YELLOWTHROAT. Soon you will see some rushes on the back side of the older pond.
Keep walking straight ahead. You will reach the new inlet in about 1/4 mile from the
cars on Lincoln Ave. You almost can touch the hwy 509 overpass which is directly in
front of you.
DIRECTIONS: To reach Gog-le-hi-te, take I-5 south to Tacoma, exiting at exit 135,
Portland Ave. Stay right, and turn right onto Portland Ave. Drive on Portland Ave.
toward the bay
about 3/4 mile. Turn right at a light onto Lincoln Ave, and drive across the Lincoln
Ave bridge over the Puyallup River. Continue about 3 blocks and Gog-le-hi-te will be
on your right. See a map of the area and a writeup in A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO
WASHINGTON, pgs 196 and 199.
When we were there on Sunday, a yellow gate was closed
so you could not drive into the parking lot. We parked at a small pullout next to
Lincoln Ave. Walk up past the gate, and walk back next to the railroad tracks.
This whole area is supposed to be open to the public. My friend and I walked all
around the area, but along the river, just past the 509 overpass, we stayed to the
left next to the RR track to return to the cars. We also saw moderate numbers of
WHITE-CRND. SPARROWS, both adults and juveniles, and heard a couple of WILLOW
FLYCATCHERS. An adult BALD EAGLE was in the area and caught some kind of bird as it
flew off. We saw a fly-by of a GREEN HERON a couple of times, as it went along the
Puyallup River. Several GREAT BLUE HERONS flew by.
After we left the Gog, we drove to the always-open Hylebos Bridge on 11th St. An
adult PEREGRINE FALCON flew in and perched about half way up a large red and white
tower by the river.
Yours, Carol Schulz
Des Moines, WA
linusq at att.net