Hello Tweeter,
Yesterday Sunday I took advantage of the wonderful weather,clear skies at
8.30.So I left at 9.00 AM,to mention that Patrick would left much
earlier,but I am going now by instinct the way my moods are and the way I
feeling to have the urge to going birding.Yes it was a good feeling to
playing everything by ear where I was going.
My first stop was Mud Bay.As always the Buffleheads there are in the masses
and the most prominent species there.I counted close to 50 birds,and this is
mostly every time I been visiting this area.I noticed that some birders as
Wayne Weber start doing this.It is a good practice to let other birders know
what there can expected in areas what are not mention to often.It is a
completely different birding what I am doing now,since I have no help
birding alone,and it is quite rewarding surprising you self what you learned
from you partner in all this years.
Other birds on Mud Bay where: Green -winged Teal 6, Northern Pintail
12,Horned Grebe1,Lesser Scaups 4,Surf Scoter 8,Greater Yellowlegs 1, and 40
Dunlin.
>From there I birded Madrona Beach Road ,what is connected to Mud Bay.Mew
Gulls 4, Thayer's1,Glaucous -winged Gull,Barrow's Goldeneye2,watching there
mating behavior,Female Common Merganser1, Buffleheads30,Spotted Sandpiper1
>From there I travel on Hwy.8 South I saw quite few Red-tailed Hawks some
paired up circle high in the air overhead,3 pair.
I stopped on my favorite place release my coffee intake.This place is quite
popular for hikers and it is open to the public on private property call
Green Diamond recourse Co. I heard 2 Steller's Jays calling and1
Flicker,so I decided to hike further in to check the area out,I took the
trail to the right and not so far I saw a Grouse running fast over the
road,since this bird was quite small that this was a Ruffed Grouse,The
habitat to the left was clear cut would be good for Bluebirds,the right side
was forest a lot of cones on the fir trees there I spotted 6 birds flying in
there call was obvious kip kip kip also on this road I had 2 Black-capped
Chickadee.As I got back to my car there was a huge flock of Pin-Siskin on
the other side of the freeway circling and circling but never settled down.I
drove south and encountered more Red-tailed Hawks before I got to Elma.
I stopped on the pond seeing a large group of 30 A.Wigeon,Canada Geese 16
with 3 are being cackling Geese and large amount of Robin's,this is the
first Robin's and it turned out that this was the most of numbers every way
I was visiting.
Next Stop was Vance Creek,there I had again on hundreds of Robins on both
side of the road,This Robin's looked so bright and pronounced there ,sorry I
did not taken any photos of this Robin's.T he pond had only 3 females and
one male Greater Scaups accross the pond I walked a short way,produced my
only Warbler species of the day Yellow-rumped Warblers 2, Song Sparrows 2,
and 1 Buick's Wren singing.On the other side in the Canal there where 13
more Greater Scaups and 1 Pied -billed Grebe.I stopped at the Airport and
was surprised that I spooked up 14 Meadow Larks.Driving along the Satsop
River there where every where Robins,Robins,all along on to Satsop I roughly
estimated around 800 birds,there flying from the grassy field in to the
large Cedar trees on the River. I also had my first Scrub Jay on one of the
house calling loudly you can not miss this bird.
Last stop was going out to the freeway on the house to the left NR.28 me
and Patrick had there always Sparrows twice we had a White-throated Sparrow
there,So I stopped ,but there was only 4 White -crowned Sparrows
visible.There I heard the Red-winged Blackbirds singing.Sound like spring is
coming soon..
Off to Bray Loop Rd,where my first and only Kestrel of the day was,sitting
on the wire looking down on me.Later I discover that in some of the Kestrel
houses occupied by Starlings.Further down the road I had another Scrub Jay
where the old homestead is,what still kind of looking attractive.Down to
the road there I spotted a group of 5 Golden-crowned Sparrows.
Going back to Brady Loop there where the only Swan species ( 9 Trumpeter
Swans) next where a group of about 80 Canada Geese.Close by on the pond
there where around 200 A.Wigeon's,and 3 EURASIAN WIGEON,also there where 15
Coots.Further down the road a lot of waterfowl as Pintail Ducks 38,
Green -winged Teals 43
There where lot's of Gulls ,counted 97 Overwhelming where Ringed Bills
,Glaucous hybrid ,Mew Gulls, Western Gull 1,Herring Gull 2,pure
Glaucous -winged Gulls 8 ,Thayers second winter birds and few California
Gulls.In the fields further up a Great Blue Heron.
On Schafer Boom Rd there where another group of American Wigeon 250, with
1 EURASIAN WIGEON. There where an very unusual Bald Eagle sitting on the
wire in the field where the Wigeon was grazing,he seems not bother the ducks
and flew off.I took few photos of this bird what seems I never saw in this
plumage.
I drove to Dunlop road this to maybe ad few more species and had my first
Brewers Blackbirds there mixed with Starlings and again a lot of Robins.On
the bridge I spotted three Buffleheads two females with one male,8
Green -winged Teals and some Mallards ducks.Also I saw 3 Snipes flying out
of the marshy grasses and a first Marsh Hawk flying over the fields late
afternoon hunting.A stop on Blockhouse Rd produced a big group of 25
Golden -crowned Sparrows at 4.30pm
On Tidwell Road where the gravel pit is came my BEST Bird of the day.It was
singing looking next to the Brambling Eye to Eye I was looking at a White
striped white throated Sparrow.I only saw the head sticking out,but it was
so bright in color,that it looked so different so close.It was not so long I
was watching this bird,naturally he went deep in to the bramble.I tried and
tried but it was already 5.00 PM and I only could see this bird deep in the
bushes moving around to find the right place for the night.I am so thankful
that Patrick even so he was only nine years old to introduced me to
birding.My life changed for the better,


Cheers Ruth Sullivan