For more information, contact Bill and Nancy LaFramboise at:
wlafra at oneworld.owt.com

The 8th Annual Conference of the Washington Ornithological Society will be held
at Ocean Shores in Gray's Harbor county from Thursday, September 26 to
Sunday, September 29. The theme of this year's conference will be
"Shorebirds and Seabirds of Washington". Field trips in prime birding
habitats, speakers, and other activities will feature this theme.

Ocean Shores is located on a 6 mile long peninsula at the northern mouth of
Grays Harbor, bordering the Pacific Ocean on the west and Grays Harbor on
the east. Because of its geographical location and diverse habitats, Ocean
Shores has been visited by nearly 300 bird species. On any given day, a
species count of nearly 100 birds is possible. Shorebirds and seabirds are
migrating at this time of year and should provide an exceptional birding
experience.

To see the shorebirds and seabirds of the area, field trips will be
conducted Thursday through Saturday during the conference. Field trip
choices include Ocean Shores area hot spots, a pelagic trip to Gray's
Canyon, Point Grenville, Lake Quinault, and several Gray's Harbor locations,
including Bowerman Basin, Raymond Airport, Tokeland, Westport, and Bottle
Beach State Park. Sunday's field trips will be self guided tours to areas
such as Striped Peak (Hawk Watch area), Neah Bay (overlook of Puffin
Colony), Nisqually NWR, Columbia White-tailed Deer NWR, or simply chasing
birds missed on previous days. Shorebirds to look forward to on these trips
include both American and Pacific Golden-Plovers, Wandering Tattler,
Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, Surfbird, Black Turnstone, Dunlin, Least and
Western Sandpipers. Shorebirds to hope for include Bar-tailed Godwit,
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Rock Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Baird's
Sandpiper, and Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Other likely birds to be seen
during the field trips include Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Black-shouldered
Kite, migrating passerines, and possibly a SPOTTED OWL. Likely birds to be
seen on the pelagic trip include Black-footed Albatross, Northern Fulmar,
Buller's, Sooty, and Pink-footed Shearwaters, Black-legged Kittiwake,
Pomarine Jaeger, Sabine's Gull as well as various gulls and alcids. Birds
to hope for include South Polar Skua, Short-tailed Shearwater, Fork-tailed
Storm-Petrel.

Each field trip will be lead by experienced birders who will have spent the
previous week scouting their respective areas. A van will be provided for
Thursday's Ocean Shores Hot Spots field trip. Busses for the other trips
will be provided equipped with over head storage for scopes and field bags,
a speaker system, refreshments, and rest rooms. Handouts will be provided
that describe the recommended areas for the Sunday self guided tours.

After the daily field trips, evening programs will be presented. Featured
at the evening gatherings will be three main speakers. Thursday evening
Bill Tweit, ABA regional editor, will present an insightful slide show of
the Birds of the Washington Coast. Friday's speaker will be Ken Warheit who
will have a presentation on Seabirds. Saturday evening, renown author
Dennis Paulson will be making a presentation. Additional presentations will
be made on selected topics during Saturday afternoon.

Meals for the conference will be provided by the Shilo Inn at the Ocean
Shores Convention Center and can be individually selected. Breakfasts and
lunches will be provided buffet style and can be eaten on site or boxed and
taken on the field trips. Breakfast includes fruit, cereal, muffin, juice,
milk, and hot beverages. Lunches include sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and
pop. The Saturday evening banquet will feature a Salmon Bake including
salmon, fry bread, cole slaw, and beverages.

While at the Ocean Shores Convention Center for the speakers or meals, there
will be displays to visit and materials for sale. Area checklists, books,
and art work are only some of the items that will be available.

A conference registration brochure will be sent to interested parties. This
brochure describes in more detail planned field trips, speakers, recommended
accommodations, meals, and contains a tentative schedule of events and the
registration form. To receive discounted prices, registration forms must be
postmarked no later than August 31, 1996. After registration forms are
received, confirmation letters will be mailed to participants. Meal
tickets, maps, and additional information will be distributed in packets
that will be available during
check-in at the Ocean Shores Convention Center. Space on field trips is
limited. Early registration is recommended.

If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact Bob Morse at
360-943-8600 or Bill and Nancy LaFramboise at 509-627-3695 (E-mail
LaFramboise's at wlafra at oneworld.owt.com). See you there!



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Scott Ray Washington Birder Newsletter
Yakima, WA PO Box 191
email: scray at wolfenet.com Moxee, WA 98908
http://www.wolfenet.com/~scray/
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