Hi Tweeters,

Following up on Kathy Andrich's recent reports from the Thomas Wetlands in Kent, I got down there just before sunset tonight. I had been down there twice recently, unsuccessfully looking for Semipalmated and Pectoral Sandpipers.

However, this evening, a shorebird feeding by itself turned out to be a Pectoral Sandpiper, just what I was hoping for. Then, a few more shorebirds flew in from a hidden corner, and my jaw dropped as I counted 8 Pectorals - awesome! They must be moving through the area in numbers now, as evidenced by Jim Danzenbaker's report of 25 Pectorals down at Ridgefield yesterday.

Other shorebirds present were (approximate counts):

Killdeer - 3
Greater Yellowlegs - 2
Spotted Sandpiper - 1
Western Sandpiper - 6; couldn't pull out any Semipalmateds
Least Sandpiper - 12
Long-billed Dowitcher - 4; an adult and juvies

I got a second surprise when a River Otter entered the pond. This pond is surrounded by dry land. Looking at google maps, there is a small slough just on the other side of Highway 167, but I believe this may be dry now (correct me if I'm wrong), so the otter would have had to travel at least three quarters of a mile over mainly dry land from the Green River, behavior consistent with that recently discussed on Tweeters.

To get to this Wetland, exit WA-167 on S 277th St, take a left, and then just over the highway take a right on 72nd Ave S. I park just around the curve at the entrance to the rental truck facility, then walk just a bit down the road to the viewing spot.

Good birding,
Evan Houston
Seattle, WA