Today I got out to Ft. Lewis with Dan Anderson hoping for a good number of FOY Pierce birds and had excellent success. First stop was the dirt road to the right just after turning onto East Gate Rd. The dawn chorus was in full song, but we had a heck of a time seeing anything. We got nice looks at one of many Wilson’s Warblers, but couldn’t locate any of the Western Tanagers, PSFCs or the Cassin’s Finch, Hutton’s Vireo or Purple Finches that were singing. No definite Hermit Warbler heard which was the target bird for the spot.
Next stop was Chamber’s Lake. On the road in we had nice looks at House Wren, heard several Chipping Sparrows which we saw well several times nearer the lake, and heard an Olive-sided Flycatcher singing its quick-three-beers from the nearby forest edge. We drove around the roads beside the lake but did not find any active bluebird nests. Just as we parked by the dam I got on a finch-type bird in the top of a fir tree, and it turned out to be a Pierce FOY Red Crossbill female. Nearby we had nice looks a calling FOY Western Wood-pewee, and I finally figured out the warbler singing was MacGilvery’s and we both had nice looks at this FOY for me and lifer for Dan. Just before we left a bright male Townsend’s Warbler showed up while I was trying to locate a calling Hammond’s Flycatcher. Another FOY for me.
Next we headed for the Muck Creek Wildlife Restoration area for Northern Bobwhite, hearing it sing fairly distantly and studied swallows trying to find a Bank, but no definite ID made. We did see 4 Vaux’s Swifts overhead though, another FOY for me.

Last stop was another try for HEWA at the same place we started, and this time I did manage to get brief looks at the bird high in a fir tree, definite unstreaked flanks, black throat and yellow head, but no really good looks. It did sing an exact full song of the type #1 on Sibley’s app.
After dropping Dan off I checked the 56th St. Stormwater Ponds hoping for the LBDO seen yesterday, but no luck.
9 FOY Pierce birds though made it a very good morning.