March 3 - Mud Bay

This afternoon, I decided to go for a walk down to Mud Bay, which is within my 5-mile-radius.  This was the southernmost point explored by Lt. Peter Puget of the Vancouver expedition, after whom Puget Sound was named.  Lt. Puget called Eld Inlet Friendly Inlet, because of the warm treatment he received when he visited a village of 60 Indians on 26 May 1792.  Eld Inlet itself was subsequently named after Midshipman Henry Eld, a member of the 1841 U.S. Exploring Expedition under Lt. Charles Wilkes.  However, the locals call this “Mud Bay”.

Killdeer

I scanned the Bay from the bridge near Buzz’s Tavern, then went over to the William Cannon trail.  According to the Squaxin Island Tribe, the 4,000-foot long trail, dedicated in April 2002, is named after the only American in a 41-member Hudson's Bay Co. expedition that stopped at Mud Bay on its way north from Oregon to the Fraser River Valley. The date was Dec. 6, 1824. Cannon was the first American pioneer to set eyes on Eld Inlet.

Mud Bay, Eld Inlet, Puget Sound

The trail is accessed at the northeast corner of the Park-and-Ride, goes behind some warehouse buildings, and loops back to the Madrona Beach road, providing views of some of the water birds.

A busy flock of Dunlin

A somewhat more sedate flock of Mew Gulls, supervised by a Glaucous-winged Gull

Double-crested Cormorant on the log . ..

As I was about to leave the parking area, when I saw an early Turkey Vulture soaring north over the Bay and along the foothills.  Good times.

First of the Season

Mud Bay eBird Checklist is Here

William Cannon trail eBird Checklist is Here

January 4 - Gull Darn It!

At 11 a.m. I drove downtown to scope the mudflats at the Port of Olympia's North Point, and arrived in the midst of a Puget Sound 45° rain,

The Hooded Mergansers thought the weather was just Ducky . . .

which the birds were trying to snooze their way through.

When you're miserable, just keep your head tucked down like this heron

or, this miserable Double-crested Cormorant

I did see a Western Grebe near the Hearthfire Restaurant,

Western Grebe

which was my first for the year as was this White-crowned Sparrow on my way back to the car.

The yellow bill suggests this is the Puget Sound White-crowned Sparrow

Then I drove over to Mud Bay to scope the gulls, looking for an immature Glaucous Gull that had been seen there this week, but no luck.  I continued down to the Department of Natural Resources Preserve at the mouth of Kennedy Creek,

but it was high tide and little to be seen,

Kennedy Creek estuary

although there was a single Black-bellied Plover on the grassy island, which was new for me for the year.

I returned to Perry Creek to scope through the gull congregation there.  Although I couldn’t find the Glaucous Gull among the 600 or so gulls roosting there and scavenging on old chum salmon carcasses,

There were 600 gulls at the mouth of the Creek to sort through - I think this is an immature Glaucous-winged

I did find a single immature Thayer’s Iceland Gull in the flock (sorry, no photo).  The mergansers were feeding in amongst the gulls.

Drake Common Merganser

Hen Common Merganser getting the stink-eye from an Olympic Gull

I finished the day with another stop at Mud Bay and called it a day with 3 new species for the year, bringing my species count to 86.  I didn't find the Glaucous Gull, but it wasn't a bad day at all.

"Olympic Gull" - a hybrid Glaucous-winged X Western Gull

North Point eBird Checklist is Here

First Mud Bay eBird Checklist is Here

Kennedy Creek eBird Checklist is Here

Lower Perry Creek eBird Checklist is Here

Perry Creek mouth eBird Checklist is Here

Last Mud Bay eBird Checklist is Here