>
> Charles Vaughan (cev at rocket.com) wrote:

[some comments on his trip to Bowerman Basin deleted ...]

>
> 2. It is wet, but don't worry, just plan to have wet socks and don't waste
> time trying to avoid the mud.

Bring rubber boots and you will be fine. I got a pair as Warshal's for
about $25 a couple of years ago, and they are one of the best birding
equipment buys I have ever made.

> 3. Take a spotting scope, 10x binoculars were of limited use.
>
> 4. Get a tide table and really plan on being there for a high tide, it
> makes a big difference.

Absolutely

> 5. Some vistas near the beginning of the trail (still in the airport) are
> closer to the large groups of birds than the regular view at the end of the
> trail, try out some of those breaks in the brush.

The best viewing area varies according to the tide. The "official"
viewpoint seems to be the last place the birds concentrate, and then only at
pretty high tides. The day I was there (4/24) the high tide (at Aberdeen)
was listed as 9.7 feet, and even the "official" area flooded at the very
peak of the high tide and almost all the birds left Bowerman. But during
the last few minutes before they left there were several thousand shorebirds
packed incredibly close together on the little patch of mud closest to the
viewing area. They were chased away by a Peregrine Falcon, but exposed mud
was getting pretty scarce by that time and most didn't return.

> 6. Find your own quiet vista and just listen to the sound that several
> thousan shorebirds make.

Very good point -- I was shocked at how many people were there and at how
much noise they (the people) made.

Joe Barsugli (joeb at atmos.washington.edu)