Ken Brown, Jacob Miller and I undertook a Mason County Big Day on Tuesday May 4th. This is something that to the best of our knowledge has not really been attempted, though on WABirder there are big day reports for Oct (66), Nov (57), and Dec (57) reported, those are months where realistically a big-day record could not hold up against a peak spring migration attempt.
Ken and Jacob did all the planning, and I was along for fun and good birding. Ken and I decided camp out at Jacob’s family’s Skokomish Valley Farms where we planned to begin the day. We were delighted to discover on arrival that we could sleep under cover in the home that they are building, and that Jacob had several nice comfortable sleeping pads we could add to our camping gear, so after arriving about 8:30 PM we quickly crashed on the floor there. I was especially ready for sleep after my Pierce County Big Day the day (Sunday) prior and working Monday. So Monday night passed quickly, and at 4:30 AM Ken’s alarm went off and we were birding by 4:50 AM.
The hoped for Barn Owl did not cooperate. Barn Owl was our only stake-out owl, so without this we faced a possible big day without any owls. Still the Skokomish Valley Farm and surrounding properties came through big-time with birds. Jacob led the way, as it is his near-daily birding turf, and despite fog and drizzle we had a list of 57 species before we left the farm at about 8:25 AM after 3 ½ hours and per eBird 4.89 miles of mostly walking. Highlights were a drumming Ruffed Grouse, a Sooty Grouse both calling and seen perched high in a distant snag. Western Bluebirds, Evening Grosbeaks at Jacob’s feeders, many singing House Wrens and MacGilvary’s Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, and most of the early-arriving migrants were found.
Leaving the farm I spotted a Varied Thrush flush from the roadside, and when we stopped for the other guys to find it we added our first Pacific Wren. Near the river Vaux Swifts zoomed overhead, and many Common Mergansers swam and flew around. Our first Warbling Vireo was singing, but the hoped for Cassin’s Vireo was not located.
With 60+ land birds listed, we headed for salt water. Our first stop was at Potlatch State Park, where despite being pretty dispersed and mostly distant scope views we managed 11 Common and one Red-throated Loon, Red-necked Grebe, Pigeon Guillemot, Common Goldeneye, Surf Scoter, and a fly-by Whimbrel.
At the Hwy 106 overlook. One of the low-points of the day was a grumpy worker/resident across the street who shooed us off the parking pullout (private property) so much of the viewing was from the side of the road. Still we managed another Whimbrel and a few ducks and gulls.
At Union we added a Red-breasted Merganser, three Purple Martins that we heard for a long time, scanning the sky before realizing that they were nesting in a utility pole and calling from a perch there, our only Western Grebe of the day, and across the road a perched distant FOY for most of us Western Tanager.
Twanoh State Park yielded Red Crossbill, and we managed a small group of 3 each Common and Barrows Goldeneye át a stop when they were spotted from the car. On the way back we stopped just shy of the usual Hwy 106 pullout to avoid the grumpy guy, and a receding tide yielded more shorebirds, adding Western and Least Sandpipers, along with N Pintail, Gadwall, American Wigeon, and a nice flock of Ring-billed Gulls. Another stop off Hwy 106 gave us Green-winged Teal.
Hunter Farms was our last big-haul of birds for the day stop. It came through nicely. The best bird of the day in our collective opinion was spotted by Jacob on a fenceline. A Western Kingbird was a county lifer for Ken (and of course for me too), and FOY for all of us. Jacob had spotted American Pipits in a plowed field from the initial scan, and we all located about 3 sneaking around the plowed furrows after some looking. Of course, after we saw them and relaxed a flock estimated for the eBird list at 25 bird took flight calling. Ken promised Wilson’s Snipe in a certain area of moist field on our way out, and sure enough two flushed about 10 steps into the field. A Lincoln’s Sparrow atop a bramble was our only one of the day.
The biggest miss of the day, possibly excluding the Barn Owl, was the hoped for shorebirds at the Kennedy Creek Estuary along Hwy 101. It was one of the most out-of-the-way stops, and we hoped for at least Greater Yellowlegs and hopefully Black-bellied Plover. On arrival the tides seemed good, but a single Killdeer was the only shorebird in sight. Nearby we did add House Sparrow and California Scrub Jay in Shelton though.
A stop in Shelton at Goose Lake gave us one of the highlights of the trip. As we looked around for ducks, adding Lesser Scaup and Ring-necked Duck to our list, Jacob heard a Bushtit. It was a species we needed, but he was hearing it across the lake, maybe 150 yards away. I hear pretty well for an old guy, but had no chance of hearing this bird. Ken looked for a minute and walked towards the car giving up, but I studied the far side of the lake bushed in the scope, and amazingly a single Bushtit was flitting around. I yelled to Ken, he jogged back, and got on the bird also. Jacob never could see the bird, so for him a heard only species, though he was the talent that found it. Woodpeckers were in abundance there too, with Red-breasted Sapsucker, Hairy and Downy all present.
We tried for Vesper Sparrow and Horned Lark at the Shelton Airport, without luck, and headed for Still Waters Farm. Mark and Beth Biser, acquaintances of Ken and friends of Jacob, have developed a large wetlands property into a fabulous nature area, with wooded wetlands, surrounding vegetation, and incredible numbers of Wood Ducks using nest boxes that they maintain. We listed 33 Wood Ducks, but they get even bigger numbers. We also took a break there, sitting on their back porch and marveling at the place for a few minutes before adding Pileated Woodpecker on the walk out.
Mark suggested that we try for Mountain Quail on E. Eagle Point Drive nearby, and we didn’t find any, but did find a singing Cassin’s Vireo while looking around.
We headed back to Jacob’s place via E Eell’s Hill Road from Shelton, and took our time hoping for raptors, Pygmy Owl or anything new. We did come into nice numbers of calling warblers, including Black-throated Gray and Townsend’s (our only ones of the day) before we headed back. Our plan was to wait for dark and hope to add the Barn Owl, but Ken and especially I were spent. We called it a day about 8:30, too early to hope for the owl over the fields and headed for home.
Our list for the day was 118 species, 116 IDed by all. Ken missed a couple of distant or faint heard-only birds, Jacob came through with his talented young ears and eyes, and we all had a great day. I added two Mason County firsts, the kingbird and American Pipit. My WA year list got up to 250, adding 10 FOY birds, mostly recently arriving neotropic migrants.
We travelled 99 miles by car, about 8.5 miles on foot, spent about 16 hours birding. The bar has been set for a Mason County Big Day, and a really enjoyable day for all three of us. Another year: timing seems just about right, we managed really all of the expected returning and remaining passerines. Misses were shorebirds, accipitors, and owls. We might be able to have a stakeout GHOW or BARO, and should be able to get the Barn Owl at Jacob’s place with some luck and maybe starting a few minutes earlier. Scouting the day prior for shorebirds might help. A nesting Cooper’s Hawk would be great.
Always good to have a wish list.