Hey Tweets!

I made a run around south king county looking for shorebirds and migrants this afternoon.

I stopped first at Lake Fenwick in Kent, where the birds were pretty good. Highlights were Brown Creeper, Purple Finch, Wood Duck, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Wilson's Warbler, and my FOY Pacific-slope Flycatcher.

Coming down the hill, I stopped at 285th street, on the east side of the West Valley Highway in Kent, hoping that the ponds there would have pulled in some shorebirds. No shorebirds, but quite a few swallows, mostly barn, but at least one Northern Rough-winged. I was about to leave when the Western Kingbird 10 feet in front of me on a fence sallied out for a bug! It stayed along the fence close to the road for 15 minutes before I left it.

My last stop was 204th, where I have been finding good warblers (Wilson's, Yellow-rumped, Orange-crowned, and Common Yellowthroat), and usually an American Kestrel or two, although there were none today. For shorebirds, I was only able to find a Greater Yellowlegs and three Least Sandpipers. The only other surprise was a Eurasian Collared-Dove - not something I had seen there before, although I think I had heard of reports before.

Happy birding!

Tim Brennan
Renton