Good morning Tweeters,
Following a great weekend on the outer coast, I decided to swing through the Brady Loop and Wentzel (sp?) Slough Roads on my return to Olympia yesterday afternoon. The weather was windy with scattered showers and sun breaks, good conditions for raptors moving through. There were many Turkey Vultures passing through, and near the WDFW parking area and across from the model airplane field I noted a Swainson?s Hawk working east. This was a light-phase bird, but lacked the very distinct dark chest band.; possibly a 2nd year bird? The shape was classic Swainson?s, rather long-tailed with longish wings held slightly in a V. The white underwing linings contrasted with dark flight feathers. The upper parts were brown with a brown, banded tail and contrasting pale/ whitish uppertail coverts. I follwed the bird east, but lost it south on the intersection of Foster and Brady Loop.

Along the loop I ran into Keith Brady who located a Western Kingbird at the east end. We noted another Western Kingbird along Keys Road. It was working the fenceline just past the first farm on the right (west). Other odds and ends following a great shorebird festival trip an Friday, and an outstanding pelagic trip on Saturday included a Cassin?s Auklet in the Westport Boat Basin on Sunday. The bird dropped in in heavy fog, early in the morning, then left about an hour later after the fog lifted.

Cheers and good birding,
Bill Shelmerdine, Olympia
mailto: georn1 at hotmail.com