I was on the way home from our administrative office at SFM today where I stopped by to pick up some things, when Bruce Labar called to let me know he had flushed a Short-eared owl at the mitigated marsh called Gog-li-hi-ti near the tide flats in Tacoma.  I dashed home, got boots and binos and headed there.  On the way Marcus Roening called and asked how far out I was.  I had not even left home and he was already there.  He graciously agreed to try not to flush the bird away until I arrived. On getting there Bruce and Marcus had flushed the bird again and were awaiting me to move closer.  The owl was in the corner of the marshy middle area, nearest the river and the original first pond area.  As we moved that direction the SEOW flushed and lazily flew across to the side nearer the third pond.  While there we also saw several Wilson’s snipe, about 55 American pipits and a smattering of other birds. Marcus and I tried for the “Bridge” owl but not to be found (a Barn Owl sometimes roosts under the overpass that runs beside the area).  This was Pierce county bird #209 for 2015 for me, far more than I had even considered possible when I started the year with Kay on Jan 1 with a day of birding the county.  Tomorrow I hope to add White-throated sparrow.