Scott and Michael already answered Grant's question about the lack of
shorebirds on the ocean beaches of southwestern Washington in mid June--to
be expected.

Perhaps Grant didn't walk on the *bay* side of Leadbetter Point, where
there is, in at least some years, a small summering population of mostly
immature Black-bellied Plovers, Marbled Godwits, and Short-billed
Dowitchers, and sometimes a few individuals of other species such as
Long-billed Curlews, Western Sandpipers, and Dunlins. Sanderlings, when
present, are often on the ocean side but may join the bay birds (most
shorebirds prefer to be in flocks, of other species if they can't find
their own).

Summering birds, as Michael mentioned, are very patchy in time and space
and may be virtually absent in some summers (perhaps when the previous year
was poor for breeding, so there are very few one-year-olds).

Some anomalous birds turn up, like a Semipalmated Plover in full breeding
plumage I saw on 10 June near Omak, WA. Why hadn't if departed for the
north? We'll never know.

The earliest fall migrant shorebirds show up on the NW coast by the last
week of June, a few even earlier than that, so we don't have much of a
hiatus. Western Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Whimbrels come in
with a rush during that week, sometimes by the thousands.

Greater Yellowlegs and others will be appearing at interior ponds at the
same time; stay tuned for further broadcasts.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416