Hi Tweets,

Just got back from the Tokeland area today. Didn't do a whole lot of =
birding, as most of my shoreline activity was during the minus tide, =
rather than a 'birding' tide.

However, while persuing the wily razor clams just north of Wash-Away =
Beach, I watched a flock of 55 Sanderlings wend their way through dozens =
of clam-diggers. I did not note them feeding on baby clams, as Janet =
Partlow noted a while back, but did note them feeding in a pretty neat =
opportunistic manner.

People going after the clams with either a clam gun or a shovel usually =
leave the sand in a pile next to the hole. The birds in this flock =
appeared to be going from sand pile to sand pile, picking at the pile. =
I am aware that there are several "sand worms" (Polychaeta), as well as =
isopods, little sand shrimps (Archaeomysis ?) and sand bugs (Emerita) =
dug up and left in the sand piles (and probably a whole lot of other =
critters that I don't know about), but I was not able to discern what =
the sanderlings were going after.

Later, at nearly high tide at Grayland State Park, I watched about 175 =
sanderlings feeding in the "sand worm" zone where folks digging worms =
and sand shrimp for fish bait had left sand piles, but this flock seemed =
to pay no attention to the sand piles.

Finally, I seem to remember a request on Tweeters about a year (?) ago =
about opossum distribution over to the coast (non-bird topic) ? I saw =
a possum road-kill just north of the Tokeland turnoff, two road-kills =
near Grayland, one near Ocosta, and one near the Nordic Inn at Aberdeen. =
These exotic marsupials are definitely established in Pacific and Grays =
Harbor Counties.

It was a neat trip to the coast, even if there were few 'exciting' birds =
seen. And, in Tokeland, the Comet was brilliant!! And practically NO =
ambient light from the city streets, etc.! Why do I live in the =
city?....

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net