<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
</head>
<body>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Hi
Tweets,<br>
<br>
Congratulations to our newest members of the 253 Club, here in
Pierce County - Area Code 253. By achieving this lofty
milestone, all 253 new members are entitled to a Celebratory
beverage of their choice from yours truly! (And I still believe
I have a couple of outstanding beverages to provide :<i>-))</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Linnaea
Wright had been waiting for just the right bird to be her #253.
While she could have chased down a Black Phoebe in the Orting
valley, she waited until number 253 came to her! A
Red-shouldered Hawk flew over her house on July 14, 2024 and was
the magical bird. One heck of a yard bird.<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Michael
Hobbs went from 251 species to #253 with a double tick of
Whimbrel and Long-billed Curlew at the mouth of the Puyallup
River on October 14, 2024. He also has the distinction of being
the first person not residing in Pierce County to achieve #253
in Pierce County.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><br>
Our newest Metro city park, Dune Peninsula at Point
Defiance Park had 3 new birds in 2024, for a Hot Spot total of
226 species. New species added were Manx Shearwater, Acorn
Woodpecker and a juvenile Little Gull. This park near Point
Ruston has a sweeping view to Des Moines to the Northeast,
Commencement Bay to the East and Dalco Passage to the
Northwest. The number of sightings of uncommon waterbirds and
migrants has increased considerably and you can usually find a
couple people there most mornings during migration. This is now
the #1 eBird Hotspot in Pierce County with 226 species seen in
just 5 years, thanks to the keen eyes of Charlie Wright and Will
Brooks leading the way. Sadly for birders, the 5 Mile Drive
that went around the tip of Point Defiance has been closed to
cars due to severe erosion of the bluffs. It is still a
wonderful place to bike and walk, but without car access, it is
a bit too far to haul a scope out to the Point on a regular
basis.<br>
<br>
And for completeness, here's the current list of 253 Club
members as divined by a combination of eBird and WA Birder
records. Any additions welcome.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><2007
Patrick Sullivan</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">2011
Charlie Wright</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">2014
Bruce LaBar</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">2016
Marcus Roening</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">2017
Michael Charest, Ed Pullen</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">2021
Heather Ballash, Tom Mansfield, Wayne Sladek, Heather Voboril,
Peter Wimberger</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">2022
Will Brooks</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">2023
Bryan Hansen, Craig Miller, Scott Saunders</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">2024
Michael Hobbs, Linnaea Wright<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Good
birding to all in the New Year!<br>
</span></p>
<div class="moz-signature">Marcus Roening
Tacoma WA - Pierce County Area Code 253!<br>
</div>
</body>
</html>