The general rule at Bowerman, at least in "the old days" (I have been
working there since 1978) is that good numbers of birds don't accumulate
there until around the 20th of April. The window is fairly narrow,
though, and numbers tend to peak around the 24th-28th. Remember that
about 85% of the traffic is Western Sandpipers, though we have recorded
23 other shorebird species there. The greatest diversity seems to occur
after the peak of westerns has passed, perhaps around 1 May, or the
first few days of May, but this may be an artifact of the lower number of
westerns, i.e., the other species are easier to see when the westerns are
fewer. A few tips; again, only from my experience: Plan to be at the
Basin a couple of hours before high tide; you can estimate this by
checking the tides at the OCEAN BEACHES, and getting to Bowerman an hour
before that estimator predicts high tide at the beaches. High tides that
coincide with dawn or about dawn are the best to see falcons, but in
recent years falcons have been seen very regularly at most times of the
day. BE SURE to bring knee rubber boots; the mud is significant. The
toughest ID problem (beyond merlin/peregrine) is Red Knot vs. dowitcher
(most of which are Short-billed): the reddish on Red Knot breasts tends
to be quite clear and clean, whereas most dowitchers have some streaking,
but the way I do that is to look for "distinctly silvery scaling" on the
backs of the knots. This problem is complicated by the fact that most of
these birds are incompletely molted when they get to Gray's Harbor. I'm
sure most people are better than I at distinguishing between peregrines
and merlins, but I readily admit I still have difficulties, even in my
mature years, especially if the drama is huge, as it often is at
Bowerman. But if the chase is successful, and a Western Sandpiper is the
prey, that cut can be made fairly easily in terms of the size difference
between the sandpiper in tow and the bird carrying it. The high tides
this year look rather low to me, meaning that the shorebirds will not be
as thoroughly packed at the tide edge as they might be, but of course the
spectacle will be wonderful anyway. And while you're enjoying those
birds, please remember that the original plan was to pave what is now
Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge. Good Birding!


Steven G. Herman
The Evergreen State College
Olympia WA 98505
(360) 866-6000, ext.6063
943-5751 (home)
hermans at elwha.evergreen.edu