Tweeters,

Although the weather report was unfavorable, a group of UW staff and faculty
retirees and I toured my usual Fort Lewis spots under what turned out to be
OK weather conditions. And we were amply rewarded, including great views of
a family of RED CROSSBILLS and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.



Starting out across from the Range Control office, we spotted a female RED
CROSSBILL accompanied by three fledglings feeding on Douglas-fir cones. They
were only about 20 feet off the ground, which enabled Owen to get a very
good photo. Interestingly, we didn't find many crossbills at other stops,
unlike two weeks ago. Additional birds nearby included BREWER'S BLACKBIRD,
GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, DARK-EYED JUNCO, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, BROWN-HEADED
COWBIRD, EUROPEAN STARLING, CANADA GOOSE, and 20-30 VAUX'S SWIFTS.



The stop along the Second Division Range Road was again a favorite. A walk
along the eastern edge of the forested area of Training Area 4 (TA4) would
easily take several hours and be very rewarding if time wasn't a concern:
it's that good! WESTERN TANAGERS really arrived in force since last weekend:
they were at every location we stopped, but we had incredible views of
several males and one or two females at TA4. Other species included YELLOW,
YELLOW-RUMPED, WILSON'S and possibly (based on chip notes) MACGILLIVRAY'S
WARBLER; CHIPPING, WHITE-CROWNED and SONG SPARROWS; PACIFIC-SLOPE
FLYCATCHER; WESTERN WOOD-PEEWEE; AMERICAN ROBIN; AMERICAN CROW; NORTHERN
FLICKER; RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH; PURPLE FINCH; SWAINSON'S THRUSH (another new
one since last weekend); CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE; RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER;
BARN SWALLOW; WESTERN BLUEBIRD; SPOTTED TOWHEE; RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD; CEDAR
WAXWING (seemingly late this year); TREE SWALLOW; and a very cooperative
HOUSE WREN that was setting up territory near the burned-snag next to the
road.



A stop near Nisqually Lake turned up MALLARD, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, AMERICAN
GOLDFINCH, and OSPREY. We had lunch at Observation Post 2 (OP2) overlooking
the prairie, and were entertained by a persistently singing SAVANNAH
SPARROW. In addition, we had excellent views of the NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED
SWALLOWS that nest in the hillside nearby.



Spotting what seemed to be an incoming rain-shower, we hustled to the Muck
Creek bridge, where everyone had great views of the YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. In
addition, we tallied BROWN CREEPER, CALIFORNIA QUAIL, RED-TAILED HAWK,
BUSHTIT, and WESTERN SCRUB-JAY. Continuing to Brandenburg Marsh, we found
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, MARSH WREN, VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA, and WOOD DUCK.



To round out the trip, we stopped at my home in Roy, where we added an
additional nine species: MOURNING DOVE, BAND-TAILED PIGEON, PINE SISKIN,
DOWNY WOODPECKER, BEWICK'S WREN (which nest in a shed I have), BLACK-HEADED
GROSBEAK, STELLER'S JAY, HOUSE SPARROW, and the large flock of EVENING
GROSBEAKS.



All in all, we ID'd 63 species (with the MacGillivray's Warbler probable).
But most of all, we had a great time in what turned out to be
better-than-expected conditions.



May all your birds be identified,



Denis DeSilvis

Roy, WA

Mailto: avnacrs4birds at q.com