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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Hi Marcus – My 253<sup>rd</sup> in Pierce was the Emperor Goose that paid a November 2021 visit to Puyallup. It was a full circle moment for me. The first time I went birding by myself was at Marymoor in
2006, a “test run” before I joined Michael Hobbs’ weekly walks. I had no identification skills. Armed with bins and a field guide in my pocket, I was slowly walking the loop when I came upon a friendly couple with bins who asked if I were a birder. Hmmm…I
didn’t think of myself that way but I responded I was learning. With that, Ellen and Andy Stepniewski walked me around giving me many lifers – starting with Common Yellowthroat. That was the beginning of an long friendship. When health issues arose and
I had to step away from birding pre-pandemic I sort of lost track of Ellen and Andy. But as I drove W. Pioneer that November day, I spotted a couple on the shoulder intently scoping a field. I pulled over and lo and behold, it was Ellen and Andy, over from
Yakima. I joined them scoping and within minutes I had the goose and got them on it. Full circle! Tom Mansfield (still birding on rare occasions) in Seattle.
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Tweeters <tweeters-bounces@mailman11.u.washington.edu>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Marcus Roening via Tweeters<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, January 2, 2026 6:52 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Tweeters <tweeters@u.washington.edu><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Tweeters] This Year’s Inductee to the 253 Club<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Hi Tweets,<br>
<br>
Congratulations to our newest 2025 member of the 253 Club, here in Pierce<br>
County - Area Code 253. By achieving this lofty mile stone, new members are entitled to a beverage of their choice from yours truly!<br>
<br>
Ryan Shaw #253 - finding a Short-tailed Shearwater off of Dune during the massive influx of these wonderful tubenoses into Puget Sound waters. Massive extra credit for achieving this goal while living in Texas!</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br>
Dune Peninsula at Point Defiance Park, continues to be the spot to see pelagic birds from land. With a sweeping view to Des Moines to the Northeast, Commencement Bay to the East and Dalco Passage to the Northwest, it is the #1 eBird Hotspot in Pierce County
with 229 species seen. Accessed near Point Ruston, this park was created in 2019. Amazingly, this year tallied all 3 Shearwaters: Short-tailed, Sooty and Manx and a shocking trifecta of Storm-Petrels: Fork-tailed, Leach’s & Wilson’s (the latter under WBRC
review).</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Unfortunately, the 5 Mile Drive that went around the tip of Point Defiance has<br>
been closed to cars due to severe erosion of the bluffs, but it is still a wonderful place to bike and walk - now without cars.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">New Pierce County Big Year Record – 246 species by Craig Miller</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Special Kudos to Craig, for surpassing Will Brook’s Pierce County record of 243 species, with a final Tundra Swan on Lake Tapps in
the last week of the year. I can attest to his many hours out in the field and up in the mountains. The most amazing sighting that I personally witnessed with him was of a White-tailed Ptarmigan off of Panorama Point on Mount Rainier. While it is possible
to see ptarmigan right off the trail, it is a rare occurrence, often requiring as many as 6 dedicated trips. Craig had carried his scope all the way up the snow field in June with us and found the bird a 1000 feet below us off of Pebble Creek! Certainly
not identifiable with binoculars and an amazing find. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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For completeness, here are the prior 253 members as divined by a combination of eBird and WA Birder records. And for those below who’d like to share, let me know your 253th bird and any story you’d like to share. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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Patrick Sullivan <2007<br>
Charlie Wright 2011<br>
Bruce LaBar 2014<br>
Marcus Roening 2016 - Cassin’s Auklet<br>
Ed Pullen 2017<br>
Mike Charest 2017<br>
Heather Ballash 2021 - Barred Owl</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Tom Mansfield 2021<br>
Wayne Sladek 2021<br>
Peter Wimberger 2021<br>
Heather Voboril 2022<br>
Will Brooks 2022</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Bryan Hansen 2023 – Black-legged Kittiwake</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Scott Saunders 2023 – Tufted Puffin</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Craig Miller 2023 – Nazca Booby</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Michael Hobbs 2024 – Marbled Godwit</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Ryan Shaw 2025 – Short-tailed Shearwater<br>
<br>
Good birding to all in the New Year,<br>
<br>
Marcus Roening Tacoma WA, The 253 - Pierce County </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Marcus Roening</b><br>
Tacoma WA<o:p></o:p></p>
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