Kay, Ken and I headed to the Grand Park Trail shortcut from FS 73 (exactly 10 miles from Hwy 410 to the trailhead) and had a terrific day. On the walk up the trail was moderately wet in places, but an overall easy hike. Nothing too special until after Lake Eleanor. We did get to hear many singing Hermit thrush, several Brown creepers, lots of Mountain chickadees, and at the lake has Vaux’s swifts. Not too far up from the lake while scanning through a flock of chickadees and nuthatches Ken spotted a perched larger bird that we managed to get good enough looks at for a positive ID of Pine Grosbeak. This was a first ever Pierce County bird for Kay and me, second for Ken (last one maybe 30 years ago though). Photos were terrible as the bird was perched fairly high up in a bright sky window in the trees, making it very backlit and dark overall. We did see the size, shape, all gray underparts, little white spot on the face, and greenish head and nape coloration through scope and binos looks. Here are the best of lots of terrible photos.
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We had ta pair, male and female later on up the trail as well as another single bird. Each time we hoped for a Black-backed woodpecker, but it wasn’t the day for that species for us. We turned back just before the climb to Grand Park primarily because of starting thunder claps and dark clouds rolling in. We came across a family of Gray Jays just before we headed back.
We kept trying for Black-backed as well as N Pygmy Owl on the way down, without success, and got back to the car just as the thunder storm struck with heavy hail and one close loud thunder clap. A great day.
On the way home I took Ken out to get the Red-eyed Vireos I heard the day prior on a bike ride on the Orting Trail, FOY birds for Ken and a nice way to end the day.
Category: Ken
JBLM Today for NOBO with Ken
Today Ken and I got out in Pierce to look for Northern Bobwhite at the site it has been seen last month. We initially tried to use Google Maps which took us through Roy to a blocked entry onto JBLM, then circled around going in the Roy Gate, past Chamber’s Lake, Left onto East Gate Rd then backtracking towards Roy to the spot. We parked, walked along Muck Creek a half mile or so, and back with no NOBO heard or seen, but then as we were giving Sophie a chance to tinkle I heard one sing a few hundred yards further down the road. We walked down, heard it sing repeatedly, and eventually one flew past us across the road. This was a FOY ABA bird for both Ken and me, and a first time Pierce bird for me.
From here we decided to go back to Chamber’s Lake to see if the Bank Swallows seen by Michael yesterday were still around, and sure enough on likely the same wires near the lake were maybe 100 swallows, at least 4 of which were Bank swallows.
From here we cut back across East Gate Road to 8th Ave. and onto area 15 where we hoped to find Vesper Sparrow. We had one bird we think may have been a VESP but it was wet (raining then) and we got only backlit looks and just could not firm the ID enough. No success at relocating after it flew, or maybe success at a true ID as another species, but no confident IDs of VESP. We did see lots of Chipping sparrows, and saw a Western Kingbird. Likely an early returning migrant, but we wonder if maybe a breeding bird or juvenile.
Anyway after this we tried driving a ways down the road flanking area 13 looking for VESP but no luck.
It was great to see Ken again after my month in CA and good to be birding on home turf.
Caroline our niece is visiting so probably not much more birding this next week.
Friday at Paradise
Today Ken and I headed to Mt. Rainier. On the way we stopped at Kreger Lake to see if the Sora and American Bittern I heard yesterday were still calling. It was yes on the AMBI and no on the Sora. On the way through Elbe we stopped to add American dipper to Ken’s Pierce County year list.
Then we headed to Mt. Rainier and Paradise. At Longmire on the way up I heard what I thought was a Townsend’s warbler, but it came down close and at first glance we thought we had a Hermit warbler. On close study though it had black streaks on the flanks making it a Townsend’s – Hermit warbler hybrid. I battled my new camera to get a photo when it was right in front of us, but managed one good enough for ID higher in a tree.
At Paradise birding was really slow, and we didn’t get what I though were gimme FOY Gray Jay and Mountain chickadee. On the way down we made several stops, and at one a Sooty grouse was booming. At the bottom we took time to walk around the wetlands at Longmire, and while we were looking at Turkey vultures soaring, hoping one would be a Golden eagle, Ken spotted three Black swifts high up and we got nice long looks at these.
Here are couple of my other favorite photos.
A Day in Thurston and Pierce: Black Phoebe and Eurasian Green-winged Teal
Today Ken was finally feeling well enough to get out birding, and we met at 7AM at the I-5 / HWY 512 Park and Ride to try to track down some local eBird rarities and fill out our state and Pierce County year lists.
First stop was the American Lake Camp Murray Boat Launch where we saw three Canvasback that were WA FOY for Ken. Also had at least 120 Tree Swallows streaming across the water. Could not make any other species of swallows.
Next stop was Easterday Road trying for WTSP, not to be. Next was the Mount’s Road Tribal Turnout area where I located a Northern Shrike, we had a FOY Pierce County Sharp-shinned hawk for me, and we headed for Nisqually to look for the wintering RSHA.
No luck there with the hawk, but we did meet Brian Pendleton, and it was nice to see him again and bird there together. I got a FOY Red-breasted Sapsucker just before we headed back for the car, but no RSHA despite nearly 2 hours of searching.
From here we continued south a couple of miles to the Hawk’s Prairie Settling Ponds where a Black phoebe was calling loudly enough that we got on it immediately and spent a bit of time birding that area.
We spent so much time at Nisqually that we decided against treking to Longview to look for the NOMO there, and instead headed for Gog-li-hi-ti to look for the SBGU wintering there. On the way we detoured to Orting where we got Ken the wintering Trumpeter Swans (FOY for him) and made a quick stop at the Fife Levy Pone on the way to Gog-li-hi-ti.
At G-T-H-T and the 11th street bridge Gull bathing spot we had no luck looking for the SBGU, but we did find the Eurasian Green-winged teal that was located there over the weekend.
Last stop of the day was at Ruston Way where I was able to drive us straight to the location I had recently seen the immature Snow Goose and Ken added it to his year list.
We also saw a close in Pelagic Cormorant that was starting to get it’s breeding red face.
I got two WA FOY birds (RBSA and BLPH), one ABA FOY Bird (RBSA) and 8 Pierce FOY birds, DOWO, BUSH, YRWA, WEME, SSHA, BEWR, PISI, and TRSW. Ken added several FOY WA birds too.
Sunshine, birding with a great friend, and a day of total leisure. Life is good.