It is nearing the point that I'm 2 years behind in finishing my "Peregrination Big Year" blogs. Sorry/Not Sorry - Life intervenes, and going Birding is 'way better than writing about going Birding. My goal is to finish the Blog to Dec. 31st 2019 before the end of 2021!! Thanks for bearing with me!
My Peregrination Year is winding down, and I really don’t have plans to travel for the remainder of the year. I’ve vastly exceeded the Budget that Marty and I had agreed upon when I started the year, and between Family and other commitments, it’s unlikely that I’ll jet off for a trans-continental rarity before the year is over.
That said, if something cool pops up within a reasonable distance, like the Rustic Bunting this week at Cape Disappointment, I’ll certainly “chase” it. In any event, one never knows when or if something might turn up locally and unexpectedly.
With that in mind, on Thursday morning the 12th, I drove up to the Theler Wetlands for the bi-monthly bird walk.
This walk is promoted by Tahoma Audubon, and led by John Riegsecker and Faye Hands.
This 3-1/4 mile walk is on level, well-maintained trails. Theler is primarily an estuary habitat at the mouth of the Union River, with wooded areas as well, creating a lot of edge habitat for a good diversity of birds. The group meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday at 8 a.m. and typically ends about 12 noon. The Tahoma Audubon calendar usually has contact information for this walk.
There was rain and mist all morning today, and we got to the estuary on an ebb tide. One of the more interesting sightings today was a Ring-necked Pheasant. This species was first introduced into Washington by the old Game Commission many years ago, and a few persist here - or show up from more recent introductions. The Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife releases pheasants for hunting on Pope Timber lands about 7 miles northwest of the wetlands.
In all, we had a good morning’s walk, seeing about 30 species, and were rewarded with a view of a Short-eared Owl hunting the fields and marsh. This owl species hunts in the daytime as well as at dusk, and is always a treat to see.
I enjoy birding with this group, and appreciate their knowledge, expertise and insights, as well as their amiable conversation.
The next day was a Friday the 13th. I was born on Friday the 13th, and consider every one of them as my “Real” Birthday. I had several errands in the morning, then walked down to the local Safeway store to pick up a couple more items. Since I was already in the area, I did a walk around the adjacent Yauger Park.
In 1982, the City of Olympia developed a low 40-acre area (can you say “wetland”) into a storm water retention facility, superimposed over a sports complex with ball fields/soccer pitches, horseshoe pits, skateboard park, etc., and named the park after a retired US Army Colonel Yauger.
The main ‘attraction’ here today was the flock of over 200 Crows feeding in the saturated grounds. The cacophony of crows calling almost drowned out the traffic sounds from nearby Cooper Point Boulevard.
On Saturday the 14th, it was cold and rainy, so I pretty much stayed close to home, preparing for tomorrow’s Christmas Bird Count.
Theler Wetlands eBird Checklist is Here
Yauger Park eBird Checklist is Here
Home eBird Checklist on Saturday is Here
