Today I planned to get up at 4:30 AM to head for Sunrise and beat the crowds and catch the early birds. I forgot to set my alarm, and didn’t wake up until 5;30 so it was a bit before 8 AM when I got to the Sunrise parking lot. Still I was optimistic as I headed out. After oversleeping my second mistake, I think, was listening to the volunteer in the lot who after I asked him about ice on the Burrow’s Mountain trail (none) suggested I do my usual hike backwards, going first past Shadow Lake to the campground, then taking the trail to First Burrows. It was a beautiful hike, the mountain was visible to near the top where a lenticular cloud surrounded at times the top, and at other times a layer just below the top.
That said the day was incredibly devoid of finding birds. I had zero raptors, not even an AMKE, zero sparrows, only YRWA and TOWA for warblers, no HOLA, no CAFI, and no grouse. No rosy-finch, and no ptarmigan. Overall a great walk if you were not a birder. 11 species total, maybe the most unexpected was a calling Eurasian Collared Dove. Checklist here
Author: Ed
Pierce Birders Chasing Shorebirds Today
I was just about to leave the house for stops at the Freeman Rd mitigation and Levy Pond enroute to working at Brett’s this morning when the texts started flying. Peter W. told us of a SBDO at Freeman, and I headed that way. Sure enough a juvenile SBDO was with two adult LBDO in the remaining water. Five GRYE were fishing, walking quickly and swinging their bills in the water and catching small fish, as three LEYE more gently picked at the water. No Baird’s today but several LESA and SPSA were there. As I left Bruce L. arrived.
At Levy Pond I noted Wayne S. photographing the peeps across on the now just starting to dry sandbar, and I studied the two teal on the far shore. I concluded likely Cinnamon Teal, though Ryan S. noted 4 BWTE yesterday. Wayne had really close photos from the far side, and the red eye made CITE the better ID I think, though Ryan may have had different birds. A few LBDO, GRHE, and flybys of a few passerines were it for that stop, and I enjoyed working in the relative cool of the day at Brett’s, finishing the high gable front siding, and replacing the 2×4 under the front door.
Brief Shorebirding Today
This morning on the way to work at Brett’s place I stopped first at Levy Pond. The good news is that the sand bar is only maybe 2′ under water and shorebirds are starting to come. I had 9 LESA and 4 LBDO today, but not much else.
Next stop was 56th St. Stormwater Ponds and it was still too full to show much mud, and except for killdeer no shorebirds and only the usual ducks, etc.
Sunrise: First Mt. Rainier Hike of 2017
Today I finally broke free for a trip to the mountain. I’ve done well on the lowland birds in Pierce this year, but had yet to break free for a hike. I left home at 5 AM today, and got to Sunrise about 6:45 after several unsuccessful stops on the ride up hoping to hear a booming Sooty Grouse. It was a perfect day for a hike, clear, cool in the early morning, and birds were active and vocal. I had my FOY Mountain bluebird before I parked the car, and heard a FOY Clark’s nutcracker soon after.
The walk through the meadows yielded a mix of lots of immature DEJU, CHSP and just a few adults of both species but nothing I could recognize as unusual. I was not able to locate a Cassin’s finch then or anytime on the hike for an unexpected miss.
I got to Frozen Lake by about 7:50 and the trail to Burrow’s Mountain looked pretty clear of snow so I headed that direction. AMPI were calling everywhere, but no raptors, no Horned Larks, and around the first bend was a steep, icy patch of trail that turned me back maybe 1/2 mile up.
I retreated and decided on the Fremont Lookout trail instead. Clark’s nutcrackers were seen nicely, again more AMPI but no Rosy finches and no Ptarmigan. I made it to the lookout had my first sandwich about 9:50, hung out for a while hoping for a Prairie falcon, ptarmigan, Rosy finch, or something new, but it was quiet there.
The walk down was much busier with hikers, and nothing new presented.
To the picnic area by 11:15, and after birding the parking lot and seeing lots of bluebirds and Chipping sparrows, headed for home.
Checking Water Levels
This morning I got out about 10 AM and spent a few hours checking out the various shorebird spots in Pierce. There were areas too dry (most), some too wet (the Fife Oxbow area) and overall not much success with shorebirding. First at Levy Pond really nothing. Very little mud still water too high. Then I went to the Oxbow remnant area and walked to the edge of the first “meadow-like” area. It looked fairly dry so I left my scope, walked back to the car, and put on my boots. I went back and about 3 steps into the area I was already over the tops of the boots. So much for looking drier.
At the 56th St. Stormwater ponds the fields are completely dry, and on the ponds I found a lone Long-billed dowitcher, and heard on Spotted sandpiper. Gog-li-hi-ti found the tides seemingly pretty good, a large mud expanse in the far pond, but not a single shorebird to be found.
Quick stops at the 11th street bridge showed big islands of mud downstream from the bridge, but just GWGU and a very few CATE. Killdeer were the only shorebirds. At the Middle waterway again pretty good mud, but not shorebirds, just the approximately 100 CATE roosting.
I had planned on going to the Chamber’s Bay beach access, but just headed home instead. Maybe tomorrow at Freeman on the weekend will be better.
Chamber’s Bay Beach Access
Yesterday Bruce found a Ruddy turnstone at Chamber’s Bay beach access so this morning I waited until low tide in late AM and headed over. From the bridge area I scanned north, and saw what looked like a pale below dowitcher. I headed straight that way, and in the first larger cove-like area with green seaweed like stuff I first found Richard S. and Mary Pearce, then found a Baird’s sandpiper. Shortly after I found the wierd-acting dowicher. At first I questioned if it was a dowitcher at all, as it was walking around the rocky area, daintily picking at the surface and not probing at all. After analysis I became convinced it was a dowitcher, and also convinced it was a Short-billed dowicher. It was very light below, has spots not bars on the sides of the breast, the bill seemed quite short, although on photos this is less noticeable. No RUTU, but still 2 FOYI Pierce birds.
I quick dash to the Breakwater Marina near Pt. Defiance Ferry Terminal did not yield the Wandering tattler seen yesterday, so I want back to Brett’s to pick up Norm’s trailer and headed home.
FOY Pierce Semi-palmated Plover
Today the informal Pierce County birders text chain came through again, as Michael Charest relocated a Semi-palmated plover seen earlier at the Freeman Road mitigation. He texted Bruce and me at 4:46 PM and about 5:30 Bruce and I arrived about the same time and easily saw the bird with the other peeps. 196th Pierce species of 2017.
Merlin Finally
So far this year a Pierce County Merlin had avoided me until today. I started at the Chamber’s Bay beach access where yesterday Bruce had seen 2 Baird’s sandpipers, but today I had just WESA and LESA for peeps, but did manage a distant Cassin’s aucklet. Best bird for me though was a perched Merlin on a snag which just after I got binos on it was chased off by a Cooper’s hawk, over the tracks and away.
On the way in the afternoon after working with Brett for the rest of the morning I stopped at the new Freeman Rd. mitigation in hopes of a new shorebird. Nothing new and I couldn’t relocate the Semipalmated sandpipers that have been hanging out there either, but shortly after I arrived a Merlin bombed in and there was a long aerial chase as the Merlin worked the flock before disappearing after several passes.
Bushwhacking Around Government Meadow
Today Ken, Bruce and I went to try for the woodpeckers seen recently at Government Meadows. Bruce drove and we got to the horse camp 19 miles on FR 70 on the left off Hwy 410. The first 10 miles are paved, then it’s dirt but a pretty good road. Note-to-self to stay straight at the fork where it looks like the better dirt road turns left. At the horse camp there is a pretty nice toilet and a good picnic table.
Our plan was to first bird the 3/4 mile trail from the horse camp to the PCT. Given this we made our biggest mistake of the day, leaving our water and lunch in the car, planning on picking it up prior to going on toward Government Meadow. On Saturday Marcus and Wayne had two pair of Black-backed woodpeckers, one at the start of the trail, and another near the junction with the PCT. We found one Red-breasted sapsucker near the start of the trail in the snags on the left, and near the piled up decomposing logs a bit farther in we had another sapsucker we hope is a Red-naped sapsucker, but may be a hybrid RNSA x RBSA. I’ve sent this out to several of the top birders around and await their opinion.
No BBWO though, and so we decided to bushwhack our way to the small meadow where Bruce and Peter W. had seen nesting BBWO last week. From there we managed to get to a different meadow, not find the BBWO, go on to find an off trail route to a large meadow we think may have been a part of Government Meadow with a backtrack to chase a drumming RBSA to the meadow Bruce had us aiming for initially. From there after finding the large meadow we could not locate the PCT, initially looking for a trail off the meadow, then taking a steep dirt road (Naches Trail) downhill, back to the meadow, behind the meadow, then back again. We finally decided to bushwhack back to the initially targeted meadow, which we managed to find pretty easily, and then bushwhack up to the PCT. By now it was about 2 PM and we were thirsty, hungry and tired by the time we got to the car. I never really felt lost, but certainly we were a bit confused as to the best way to get back onto the Pacific Crest Trail again though.
We did manage good birds on this exploration of the area. In one of the meadows we found Lincoln’s sparrow, had a fly by of a calling Evening grosbeak, Gray jays were around with one flying in for a close look while we watched the possible RNSA, and Hermit thrush, Varied thrush, and DEJU were seen several times each.
After a late lunch and rehydration on the drive back down FR 70 Bruce spotted a Ruffed grouse on the side of the road. We managed to stop, all get nice looks, and get photos as it puffed up and strutted before walking into the grass.
For me 4 FOY Pierce county birds, Evening grosbeak, Gray jay, Pine grosbeak and Ruffed Grouse, with a possible fifth if the sapsucker is deemed to be a Red-naped.
Freeman Rd Mitigation
This morning I made a trip to the Freeman Rd mitigation that is under construction. I got there about 9:20 and it has not dried up much since my last trip and remains great shorebird habitat. There were even more peeps there today. I counted 105 in one bino’s pass, and later found 6 Western sandpipers among them, so called in 99 Least sandpipers. 4 LBDO and 4 GRYE, 4 SPSA rounded out the shorebirds. I couldn’t make a SESA or anything different. Stayed about 50 minutes.