Theler Wetlands Revisted

With all the construction going on at Theler Wetlands, I’ve avoided the area for over a month, but I wanted to eat lunch/dinner at Amy’s on the Bay so I decided to visit on a recent Saturday. The best birding areas are still blocked off, but I did manage to see a number of birds I seldom see anywhere else, beginning with this flycatcher,

flycatcher

which I think is, more specifically, a Hammond’s Flycatcher.

Once we got across the large field where they’re trying to reconstruct the wetlands and reached the river, we met John who had spotted these Black-Headed Grosbeak,

 female Black-Headed Grosbeak

a bird I usually only see in Eastern Washington or Oregon.

He also spotted this Black-Throated Gray Warbler,

Black-Throated Gray Warbler

a new bird for me, or at least one I’ve never gotten a picture of before, or I wouldn’t be including this one as it doesn’t strike me as a particularly great shot.

The highlight of the day, though, had to be two Virginia Rail, though I only managed to get a clear shot of the adult.

Virginia Rail

It’s been at least a year, but probably two since I sighted a Virginia Rail at precisely this same spot. Even in the middle of massive construction, Theler Wetlands continues to support a remarkable number of species. It’s amazing that earlier generations failed to recognize their importance in the ecosystem.