This morning I got out birding in Pierce County for the first time since April 16, and so Pierce FOY birds were pretty available. That said I missed the real target of the morning when I could not find the Brewer’s Sparrow at the 56th St Stormwater Ponds. I met Bruce Labar an Peter Wimberger there though and did manage to get lots of American Pipits and a Greater Yellowlegs.
Next stop was at 178th Ave in Orting to look for what has become the annual Western Kingbird there. Bruse and Peter were there too and Bruce located the bird on a fence post.
Shortly after 6 Band-tailed Pigeons flew into a cottonwood nearby for my 4th FOY Pierce species this morning.
This afternoon there was a Western Tanager calling and singing in the back yard while I weeded.
Category: Ed’s Birding Notes
This is where I post my personal birding notes.
More Spring Arrivals
Today was a day for work around the house, but I started the day off right with an exercise walk from the edge of Manorwood past Pierce College and around Bradley Lake and back. The road was closed to traffic and on a sunny morning the birds were singing nicely. Best bird of the walk was Black-throated Gray Warbler with at least 3 singing loudly for FOY IDs. Also had at least 2 Hutton’s Vireos singing, and I think I heard an Evening Grosbeak, though I was not sure enough to list it.
Kay and I were about to head out on errands after meeting Steve to review and send in taxes when Bruce Labar texted that he had a Yellow-headed Blackbird at the 56th St. Stormwater Ponds. Kay and I headed there on a revision of our errand route, and sure enough after a few minutes a bright breeding male plumage YHBL strutted along the sandbar between the 2nd and 3rd ponds. This was both a FOY WA bird and a first ever Pierce species for me. We only stayed a few minutes, but for a day not focused on birding two FOY Pierce and WA birds, and a new Pierce lifer made it pretty great. All photos digiscoped.
Spring Arrivals Showing Up
Today was the first day of April Pierce County birding for me, and for FOY Pierce birds it was cherry picking easy. In about 2 1/2 hours on a cool rainy day I visited Levy Pond (FOY Barn Swallow, and Savannah Sparrow. Nothing new at Sha Dax, but at the 56th Street Stormwater Ponds I added FOY Cliff Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Common Yellowthroats were singing seemingly all over. I walked a quick loop in the upper Swan Creek area but rain kept is short, and nothing new there. Then later on the way to work this afternoon at Bonney Lake two Turkey Vultures soared overhead. 6 FOY Pierce species in an easy day. TGIS (Spring).
Say’s Phoebe in Pierce Today
Yesterday a Say’s Phoebe was sighted at the Brown’s Point Lighthouse Park, but Bruce tried for it with no luck. Today it was relocated, I think by Marcus about 11:30 and I got a text from Marcus. I couldn’t go until after Rotary at noon-1:30 because I had invited the speaker, but right after watching the League of Women’s Voters program Kan and I headed for the bird. Heavy rain, cold, and no luck on the park property itself. Kay retreated to the car while I searched the neighborhood. I walked around, and finally went down the dead-end road beside the park to the beach. Sure enough, I noted a small bird sally flycatcher-like over the beach, and Voila.
Overall a great opportunity for a first Pierce bird.
Sunny Saturday Morning around Puyallup
This morning I made a few stops between 9-11 AM near home. First at the Vann Ogle’s-Ford Rd area. Only 11 Trumpeter swans this AM, and no PEFA. The WEME remain, are singing and easy to find now.
Next at Levy Pond not much on the water but a nice flock of WCSP with a single nice look at a Lincoln’s sparrow.
Very little at Sha-Dax next.
Then at the 56th St Stormwater Ponds a few ducks but little else. I did manage to find a Eurasian Collared-dove just after leaving the ponds, for a county FOY bird.
Longmire and Back
Bruce Labar, Marcus Roening and I met at the Roy-Y Park & Ride at 7:20 AM and headed for Longmire Rainier NP in hopes of finding a few FOY Pierce birds. At Longmire it was generally quiet but we managed to find a small flock of mixed chickadees, CBC’s mostly, but at least 2 Mountain Chickadees. We also enjoyed a pair of dippers on the river from the bridge area. As always amazed at how they “dip” under the rushing water and bob back up again oblivious to the cascade of freezing water. Two large flocks of Pine Siskins were FOY for Marcus.
We made several stops on the way back, best by far was hearing and then seeing a FOY WA Pygmy Owl on a back road out of Ashford.
We met Will Brooks on 416th and he told us he had heard a California Quail at Kreger Lake so we continued out to that stop. No CAQU but we were all pleased by a FOY pair of Cinnamon Teal.
Our last stops around the 13th Division Praires at Ft. Lewis yielded two California Quail and a Western Bluebird, but we were not able to locate the Horned Larks Will had seen and heard earlier.
A great day with 2 WA and 5 Pierce FOY birds.
Tundra Swans on the Orting Farm Loop Today
Today I tried once more for the Brant in the wet fields between Riverside Rd and Auto Way in Sumner, finding a diminishing flock of Cackling Geese behind the Honda dealership again, but today the Snow Geese were gone and the Brant still not found. Rain was found though and increasing hard rain at 33 degrees, so I decided car birding was in order.
I headed for Orting hoping for Peregrine Falcon or who knows what. I got two good FOY Pierce birds as in a flock of sparrows on the Orting Farm Loop off Calistoga I had nice looks from the drivers window at an obliging Lincoln’s Sparrow and near the end of the loop I noted four big white birds with the Cackling Geese. I assumed Trumpeter Swans, but was really surprised and pleased to see four Tundra Swans, one with a really lot of yellow in front of the eye on the bill. I hoped for maybe Bewick’s Swan or even Whooper Swan, but it was just a very upper limits of normal yellow on the bill of a Tundra. I called Bruce Labar to come see and while I waited for him another 3 Tundra Swans walked into view. That was two good birds on one of my favorite winter bad-weather birding-by-car drives. Sweet.
Snow Geese Finally plus Downy Woodpecker and Sharpie
Today after helping Brett knock out access to his attic and watching a flock of 20 Bushtits flit about in his side yard, I drove by the school on Portland Ave once again in hopes of seeing the Snow Geese reported there by Michael Charest and Bruce Labar among others. I’d gone by at least three times in the last few days, always no SNGO, and today traveling west no luck. I turned around planning to go to upper Swan Creek Park and on driving by in the other direction, presto, there they were.
At Swan Creek I had a good walk, adding Downy Woodpecker in the creek area and later a flying Sharp-shinned hawk over the old open housing area, and managed to not get hurt much when I fell going down a steep hillside.
This afternoon Kay and I visited the Kent Ponds area in hopes of seeing the Red-shouldered Hawk that has been seen there recently, but it was not to be today. Still sunshine and a nice walk all around the area was nice.
Dipper and Meadowlark Today
Today Kay and I made another trip to try for the Snow Geese off Portland Ave between choir performances but no luck. After lunch Kay helped with the baby shower for Maya and so I was free to get out. First stop was another try for the GWFG or PEFA at Van Ogles Ford Road, where neither were seen, but to my surprise 11 Western meadowlarks flushed from the field beside the swan area. A FOY Pierce bird for me.
Next with the goal of getting in a good walk and maybe finding a woodpecker or the dipper under the bridge I headed for the Foothills Trail parking by the Carbon River bridge. On the way out no dipper by the usual spot at the bridge, and just after I passed the bridge it started raining hard. I walked out 45 minutes as it continued to rain, and almost nothing was calling or moving. Good exercise, but very few birds. On the way back more of the same, but as I approached bridge, almost to the car, i heard an American Dipper singing loudly from upstream of the bridge. I looked an a pair was standing on a rock in the middle of the river maybe 30 meters upstream. As I watched they both flew downstream, and I managed to find one on a rock past the bridge for dark photos.
Except for the rain a nice walk, and a second FOY Pierce species today. Typically I texted Bruce about the dippers and as I was parking at S. Prairie he texted back that he had a dipper at S. Prairie earlier this morning. You have to get up early to get anything ahead of Bruce Labar. A good day.
BIrding in Sunshine, Pierce County in January with a Good Buddy
Birding locally does not get much better than getting out with a good birding buddy, on a sunny day, and finding most of the birds you are looking for. That was today for me. Ken texted last night to see if I was interested in getting out in Pierce County to look for several FOY WA state birds for him and several FOY Pierce and/or state birds for me. Sounded great and we met and headed for American Lake to get Canvasbacks for Ken, easy at the Ft. Lewis boat ramp, then south to Easterday Road where the White-crowned Sparrow was at the feeders as expected. In addition a Wilson’s Snipe flew up just as I clapped my hands to startle it at a wet area after I told Ken this was an area they had been seen by others, but not by me Pretty cool experience. Not much was at Mount’s Road, and we headed back to see if we could find the Clark’s Grebe at the N. American Lake Park.
It was fairly easily found once we found a not too back-lit viewing area, and Marv Breese and we found it almost simultaneously. Pretty good though distant views. The bright yellow-orange bill, eye in the white of the face, and slightly paler gray color were noted and as we gave high-fives all around we headed to Gog-li-hi-ti for the Black Phoebe that has eluded me yesterday.
On arrival there a King Co. birder nabbed us on the walk in and told us just were to find the bird. Pretty much where we expected from my discussion yesterday with Bruce Labar and earlier with Marv. It posed pretty nicely for a photo and we felt like we couldn’t miss today.
The next stop for Slaty-backed gull at the 11th St Bridge proved us wrong, as almost no gulls were around, so we decided to see if we could find the Least Sandpipers reported a few days ago by Bruce at Alexander St. We got there and immediately were drawn to looking at a hybrid American x Eurasian Wigeon It was pretty cool, but eluded good photos. I soon noted a few Least Sandpipers near the right edge of the water and as we scoped the area we realized we has 26 individuals working the rocky beach.
Overall a great day together. I had 5 FOY Pierce birds, including two tough ones, the WTSP and BLPH. Sunny days birding in the Pacific NW rock!