I spent a sunny Saturday birding around Thurston, and a little bit of
Pierce & King County --

At Nisqually NWR this morning, I spent a little while watching a
[the?] Great Egret -- the upper legs appeared pale grayish, but not
yellow, to this observer. I don't know whether that makes this 'Egret
#2' or if the paleness might not be conducive to picking up yellow
colors from nearby plants..

Best bird at Nisqually was a SWAMP SPARROW, seen while walking back
towards the visitor center, along the river trail -- look for an
interpretive sign w/ a Common Yellowthroat, then go to the nearest
benches overlooking the swamp -- The Swamp Sparrow came right in to
an ipod.

Also at Nisqually, I enjoyed close looks at an American Bittern,
Hermit Thrush, a very cooperative Hutton's Vireo & all the ducks &
geese of the season.

Tolmie State Park was next, and didn't disappoint at all:
LONG-TAILED DUCK - 4 of them !
Marbled Murrelet - 1
Common, Pacific & Red-throated Loons
Eared, Horned & Red-necked Grebes, White-winged & Surf Scoters, all
three cormorants.

I made a short visit to Tumwater Falls, and from the northern bridge
was able to spot an AMERICAN DIPPER downstream.

At Capitol Lake, the Trumpeter Swan was still present, along with
many Eurasian Wigeons mixed in with the American Wigeon flocks.

In Pierce County, I birded at Purdy Spit, where after a bit of
scoping I enjoyed looks at all three scoters, Eared, Horned & Western
Grebes, Common & Red-throated Loons, and a flock of Dunlin.

A stop at Gog-li-hi-te Wetlands in Tacoma turned up plenty of gulls,
including Western, Glaucous-winged & Thayers, but not the Glaucous
Gull that has been seen sporadically there this winter.

Final stop of the day was in King County at the mouth of the Cedar
River in Renton. 3 of us scoped the gulls and were rewarded with 1
adult GLAUCOUS GULL & 1 2nd yr GLAUCOUS GULL - along with an apparant
Glaucous X ? hybrid.

A good day, all told,

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA