BIrding 4-26-2018

birderguy (34)in #birding • 6 years ago

Great Blue Heron

Another sunny day today, and migration is starting to pick up. First stop today was at the middle waterway on the Tacoma Tide Flats. A small flock of Least Sandpipers were the best birds there, and increased numbers of shorebirds every day migration is getting more exciting.
Next was a mainstay of Tacoma birding, the Gog-li-hi-ti mitigated marsh area. This area was a bit disappointing, with nothing really of note except another 45 Least Sandpipers. Next I headed to the Fife side of the tide flats, and checked out the shorebird area at the end of Alexander Ave. where I got 11 Black Turnstones, 5 Least Sandpipers and 2 Dunlin, one in basic plumage, the other in early pre-alternate molt with just a few black belly feathers coming into view. No Western Sandpipers though, so I did not see this soon-to-be first-of-year species for Pierce County yet.

Black Turnstones

On the way back out I saw a flooded field and stopped and got nice looks at a pair of Cinnamon Teal. They are one of the more spectacular ducks we see in this area.

Cinnamon Teal

After Rotary I was driving back to Tacoma on the River Road when our text chain came through as Will Brooks texted about a male Yellow-headed Blackbird at the 56th Street Stormwater Ponds, so I stopped there and the bird was right on the fence as I started to walk into the area. This is a tough species in our county, and Will came through with a FOY species for himself, me and at least Bruce so far.