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.