Hi Tweeters and the Rainier CBC crew,

I'm hoping a few of these will be seen tomorrow on the CBC. Today I birded the valley and found some nice count week birds.

South of the old Thomas Ponds sometimes I like to cruise through the warehouse areas. On I St NW near where it meets up with 37th St NW is the Helly Hansen warehouse. Driving the short one way road near the 3703 numbers on the building in the direction toward 167 I found a Hermit Thrush foraging right next to the building.

Not likely in the count area but nice nonetheless was a 12 swan flyover near Emerald Downs, one was clearly smaller, making it 11 Trumpeters and one Tundra. A few Dowitchers were sleeping with the ducks, there must be a few Snipe too but I couldn't find them.

In the Frager S of Meeker area I did not see any swans on the ground but saw 18 total Trumpeters fly over in different smaller groups. About 1/3 of a mile south of Meeker on Frager I was able to patiently sift through a seemingly ever changing crew of crowned sparrows to find one White-throated Sparrow.

Frager N of Meeker I scoped a large flock (`250-300) of wigeon feeding on the grass of the Kent Golf Course and found at least 4 male Eurasian Wigeons, one with small green patches above the eye. I don't know if that makes it a hybrid or not but it was striking in appearance.

Has Tweeters been offline or did everyone just take a Christmas break? OBOL and BCVAN birds have been more active.

Kathy
Roosting in Kent, near Lake Meridian
(chukarbird at yahoo dot com)
Any driving directions contained within this message are given as a courtesy, beware, author is directionally challenged and will not vouch for them.