[Tweeters] Pierce County Birding (Plus An Odd Duck)

[Christopher Clark]

Good afternoon,

Today I wanted to get a few birds added to my year list so I went out to a
few of my favorite spots. Here were some highlights:

The overwintering Green Heron continues at Levee Pond. It's been pretty
reliable the last few days, hanging out near the grate next to the
(currently in disrepair) viewing platform. A few Ruddy Ducks are also
hanging out here - though somewhat common in the area, they aren't exactly
reliable at Levee. Now, I got all these birds here a couple days ago, but I
returned to view an odd duck I saw. It looks like a typical female Northern
Shoveler, but with an all dark bill, like a male, and an overall warmer
tone. It actually looks like a female Cinnamon Teal but with a larger bill.
I'm not too well versed in variation within females of either species, but
I'm curious if it might be a Shoveler x Teal hybrid. You're welcome to
check out the photos yourself in the eBird checklist linked below (photos
are listed under "duck sp.").


>From here I stopped by the Saddle Creek wetlands. No Black Phoebes today,

but I did pick up both Green-winged Teal and Trumpeter Swan. Next I went to
various spots along Ruston Way where I picked up a number of the typical
saltwater species. Lastly, I went to Point Defiance, hoping to get some of
the tougher species here. Sadly, the Snow Geese and Greater White-fronted
Goose were a no show. Even Eurasian Wigeon, usually reliable here, wasn't
present. The wigeon flock was smaller than usual though so it may have been
off elsewhere. I did see a Cooper's Hawk so that was nice.

Lastly, I walked down the Wilson Way bridge over to Dune Peninsula. Another
Cooper's Hawk, smaller than the one I had just seen, gave great views from
the evidently aptly named "Raptor Lookout" shortly after crossing the
bridge. A male Anna's Hummingbird also allowed me to get some nice photos!
Unfortunately bird activity on Puget Sound was pretty quiet but I did add a
couple more species to my year list. Finally, during one final sweep of the
water I accidentally flushed a Western Meadowlark from the grass, a bird I
was hoping to see today! That brings me to 68 species for the year so far
(62 for Pierce County) - not too shabby!

Levee Pond Checklist (odd duck): https://ebird.org/pnw/checklist/S125566050

Dune Peninsula Checklist: https://ebird.org/pnw/checklist/S125568235
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