Date: 10/17/26 6:47 pm From: Marty Chaney and Jon. Anderson via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] SSBA Field Trip to Potlatch State Park
This morning, six birders enjoyeda beautiful sunny morning visiting Potlatch State Park in Mason County, for theSouth Sound Bird Alliance field trip. Wemet at 09:00 and spent the first hour or so scoping the flat calm waters ofsouthern Hood Canal. There were numbersof Short-billed and Bonaparte’s Gulls foraging; many of which would congregatearound the Steller’s sea lions which were feeding on the salmon. Also scoped were the 'usual' "Olympic" Gull hybrids, Horned, Red-necked, andWestern Grebes, and a few Scoters. Wechecked all of the loons, looking for Pacific or Red-throated, but only foundCommon Loons - several of which cruised quite close-by on the beach.
We were somewhat surprised tosee a few Heerman’s Gulls, and put word out on the Thurston/Mason RBA WhatsApp. This gained us a few local Mason County birders,and we eventually observed at least 22 of these late-staying visitors from thesouth.
The Park Ranger suggested that thetrail above the Campground might have some other birds, so we walked thecampground loops and the lower end of the hiking trail loop. The trees were full of Red-breastedNuthatches, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, and Red Crossbills. A Red-breasted Sapsucker gave us a brief look,but that was the only woodpecker seen. Apair of Steller’s Jays and a few crows were raising Cain near the mouth ofEnati Creek, but we couldn’t find the cause of the ruckus.
In all, it was a fun morningwith good people, and perfect weather. Many thanks to Emma J, who joined us in response to the RBA about theHeerman’s Gulls, for her sharp eyes and young ears; finding us the VariedThrush toward the end of the walk. Weended up with 39 species for the morning; our eBird checklist can be seen at https://ebird.org/checklist/S403164580 Check out the South Sound BirdAlliance’s web page at https://southsoundbirds.org/for upcoming field trips and events.
Cheers,Jon. AndersonOlyWA
