[Tweeters] Puyallup River (Orting) Birding 5/25/2023

[Christopher Clark]

Hello everyone,

I had another enjoyable morning birding along the Puyallup River in Orting.
This week I parked in the parking area off of Calistoga St W again, but
instead of heading left after the gate, today I went right, going under the
Calistoga St bridge and turning around shortly before the middle and
elementary schools.

Birding was pretty nice, though more quiet than last week. Warbling Vireos
were more noticeable though, and Willow Flycatchers were present in better
numbers. Merlin sound ID picked up a Red-eyed Vireo briefly, though I
wasn't able to verify it or pick it up again. Merlin also picked up
something interesting - amongst all the Black-headed Grosbeaks, one
particular song was consistently picked up as a Rose-breasted Grosbeak (I
took 4 or 5 separate recordings)! HOWEVER, after some time I was able to
get a visual of the bird in question, at least briefly, and it looked like
a typical male Black-headed Grosbeak. Merlin is a fantastic app but of
course it's always possible for it to confuse such similar songs, though I
wonder why it chose that particular song from that particular bird? I
suppose a hybrid is also possible, or simply a slightly variant song. On my
way back I walked down to the river bank where a couple of Black-capped
Chickadees were quite vocal, and a Killdeer didn't seem too happy to see me.

Overall it was an enjoyable day, with 34 confirmed species, and I hope to
return soon. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite local hotspots.
Happy birding everyone! Ebird checklist below:

https://ebird.org/pnw/checklist/S139241351
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