Hello tweeters,
Today Loren Webster an I birdied in Mason County thanks to Matt Barrels for
the good direction finding 2 Mouton Quail on one of the trails on the
Blacksmith -Tahuya Road.Since there was a detour,getting from Belfair to
Wood Lake,we coming from another direction.We choose first the wider trail
,which went to the left the other to the right,it was still early 6.30 AM
For some reason we split up,I played a tape once in a while and listen,but
no bird responded,I walked quite way on this road,almost ending on the big
fir trees where the road went right, there I spotted 2 MOUNTAIN QUAIL
together,there seems eating some gravel.This sighting was short slowly this
birds moved in to vegetation and was not seen again.This looks like a big
trail with some clear cut,I did not saw any other birds on this
trail.Walking back,it could be almost a halve mile this (guessing)
I found Loren ,who had nothing to mention on the left trail where he was
looking.We decided to also going on to the other trail who had much more
vegetation and the road was more narrow.An other birder followed us,but we
had no birds on this spot .
Off to WOOD LAKE where I found the entrance from earlier years birdied
there and found a lot of nice Dragonflies,By now it was past 8.00 AM,and all
the effort was not working to get Mountain Quail here.We walked the whole
trail on Wood Lake where we had few good sightings as 3 females HOODED
MERGANSER with 3 YOUNG CHICKS, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER,singing this great
song (quick-three beers) this bird was sitting so high in a tree. WESTERN
WOOD -PEWEE (repeated his song) (pee-your) for ever!!! HAMMOND FLYCATCHER(
noticed the longer primary projection )
and showed white eye ring expanded in(teardrop at rear).BLACK-headed
GROSBEAK.,SWAINSON'S THRUSH 1 bird.
PACIFIC -slope FLYCATCHER 1 BIRD.There was an explosion 1 species of
Dragonflies "The Chalk-fronted "Dragonflies
On the other lake next to Wood Lake Patrick and I there in 2004 &2005 in
great numbers emerged,,Also on the Road Loren spotted 2 HAIRY WOODPECKERS.On
this Lake I played the PYGMY tape and birds responded ( in one area only)
BLACK capped -CHICKADEE 4 birds,CHESTNUT-backed CHICKADEE 1
BIRD,BLACK-throated -Gray WARBLER 1,SONG SPARROW 3 birds ,1 WREN ( so plain)
NO ID?
A short stop on the bridge of the TAHUYA RIVER produced few good birds as
the 3 Bald Eagle 1 Adult ,2 juvenile ,1 Raven,
ROUGH-winged SWALLOW (1 bird on the weir close) many BARN SWALLOW.
It starting getting so windy at Belfair State Park,and the tide was so
low,but we stopped at the LYNCH Wetlands a small extension from BELFAIR
across the bay` A WEASEL right on the entree, GREEN HERON 1,CANADA GEESE 14,
MARSH WREN 2, KINGFISHER 1,
We checked the OLD AIRPORT IN SHELTON ,and do to the wind,the only birds we
had there way in the back 3 SHIPPING SPARROWS AND 1 dark-eyed Junco.
Our last stop was in the old well known place in the Kitsop AIRPORT where we
used to see the Mountain Quail on a regular basis.It was late afternoon and
the only birds we had where WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS,and 1 COOPERS HAWK.
This place still looking good for Mountain QUAIL,and there is no Gate ,I
wonder if any birder tried there for the MOUNTAIN QUAIL.It was a LONG
DAY,but it was a good day with great company.

CHEERS Ruth Sullivan and LOREN WEBSTER!!!!