Tacoma Midday Birding Today

Today after a little more housekeepingI got out to catch some of the partly-sunny cool day birding. First stop was my third try for the Harris’s sparrow at the 11th Street Bridge, with success this time. Several birders were leaving as I arrived, and Bryan Hansen got there right after I parked. We got on Read More…

AM Birding Today

This morning I got out for a couple hours of birding before focusing on getting materials for our “shed raising” tomorrow at Brett’s. First stop was “the Gog” where I was not able to find the Lapland longspur found last evening by Michael Charest. On my first loop around the middle pond, on the far Read More…

Paradise Hike

Today Alan and I headed for Mt. Rainier to hike the Skyline Trail out of Paradise while Kay and Jean stayed behind for some Mother – Daughter time. We got there about 8 AM and headed up the east side of the trail. It was remarkably alive with birds, with flocks of DEJU and sparrows. Read More…

Pectoral Sandpiper at Levy Pond

I happened to check my email around noon and saw a very recent (hourly) eBird needs alert for Pierce County that Christopher Clark had seen a Pectoral sandpiper at Levy Pond. Kay and I headed right there, and the PESA was feeding near two Long-billed dowitchers on the sand bar. It moved around a from Read More…

Black Phoebe While Shorebirding

Today I made three quick stops, primarily looking for share birds while Kay was at her book club. At the Freeman Road mitigation the water is nearly dried up and not many birds left. At Levy Pond the mud was good, the SBDO remained, but otherwise just the usual peeps. At 56th St. Stormwater Ponds Read More…

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 Read More…