Plans are afoot

Looking over the weekends coming up with Bre, and I think this weekend coming up will be my first trip out to Mason County, with a Big Day on Saturday.  "Why don't you go this weekend?" was the question.  I was still feeling like I'd been gone a bit much after a couple Christmas Bird Counts, but it just might be the best time to go.  I haven't worked out lodging but here's the general plan:

Owls:  I'll make efforts for nearly all of them, although I think I'm leaving the Spotties alone for now.  One can't be inside the ABA code of ethics while running around calling for Spotted Owls, so I will be endeavoring to hit the right areas when those dudes are calling actively. 

Owls are tough in Mason County, but I have a few leads, ideas, hunches and gambles:

Mary Theler Wetlands at Belfair has a resident Barred Owl - that'll be my first stop, and maybe my first bird of the year for the county if it cooperates, and if I don't head over on Friday.

Northern Saw-whet Owl:  I'll try for these at a spot with an eBird report, a little bit south of Mason Lake on Krabbenhoft Road.  They like deeply wooded areas, so I may run into them just about anywhere this year when I'm trying for other owls.

My first three owling stops - taking me from Belfair to Shelton.



Western Screech-owl:  These guys are having a hard time in King County.  Two kinds of areas seem to have them holding on:  1) Steep canyons near Puget Sound (so I'm looking for similar habitat near Hood Canal - Jorsted Creek seems to have some good slopes, and might lead to some stops if I have time.  2) Smaller patches of forest that are big enough for Western Screech-owls without being big enough to interest a Barred Owl.  We've got a little lake down in Kent where they have nested recently, so I tried to find habitat that looked similar enough using google maps:  I'm going with Island Lake near Shelton. 

Great Horned and Barn:  Skokomish Valley - there are some farms, roads and powerline trails that have at least historically had some owl reports.  I hope to be sitting in the right spot at Barn Owl O'clock when they hunt the fields in the morning.  If not, I'll try them again in the evening!

Sunrise - Sunset:

Skokomish Valley:  Gulls, sparrows, raptors, geese, maybe some ducks.  There are a few other little birds like American Dipper and Green Heron that I'll try for here as well.

Hoodsport:  Up the road a little for some forest birds, and maybe a Gray Jay, or a Northern Pygmy Owl, then back to the water for saltwater birds, and more gulls.  Potlatch State Park for more of the same.



Union:  From the other side of the Great Bend, I'll try again for more saltwater birds.  A Clark's Grebe (code 5) was seen here last week!

Theler Wetlands:  This should be the birdiest spot in the county on most days.  There's a nice mix of habitat, and it is birded each Thursday by folks who are kind enough to post sightings on eBird!

Belfair State Park:  As if I'll have time to get here!  But assuming I do have time, I'll want to come and pick up some more ducks and shorebirds like Dunlin.

Stillwater Farms:  Again, time permitting.  I will probably be hoping to pick up a Wood Duck here.  This is an active tree farm, and the owners contacted me when they heard of the blog.  There are possibilities for some game birds in here that I may not be able to make a good attempt for on this trip.

Shelton:  Western Scrub-Jay and Eurasian Collared-Dove.

This is a long day!  As with any Big Day plans, there will have to be sacrifices and/or speed. 

I wish I had time for:  Nahwatzel Lake for American Coot - devilishly hard to find in the county;  Hartsene Island for alcids, and Kennedy Creek for more shorebird/gull possibilities (although that may be a repetitive stop if I can get to Belfair).

All that said...   I make plans and adjust all the time.  Something will slow me down!  I also want to get some good pictures along the way (I'll tell you now, however, to set the bar very low for wildlife photography!  Zee lens is not zoh beeg!).  70 birds would be a darn good day.

It would be nice to finish the day in Shelton!  Finishing the day with a good meal in Shelton while adding things up would be just peachy.