Tweets,
The subject line was right and the travel for the day was very odd, but
the birds were fantastic. Heres a brief overview of highlights for August
31.
I caught the 8:40 ferry from Edmonds to Kingston. I might have known it
would be a good day, at the ferry dock a juv. Franklins gull was flying
around. In Apple Tree Cove in Kingston there were ~125 Phalaropes on the
water (Red-necked). Now on to Ocean Shores, at Mc Cleary there was a
kettle of Vultures about 80 feet over the road (9 to be excact). Once
arriving in Ocean Shores we hit the pond on Damon Point. There we had the
juv. Reeve, two dozen Bairds Sandpiper, both Yellowlegs, a Short-billed
Dowitcher and a likely Long-billed Dowitcher. There were also a large
amount of Least and quite a few Western Sandpipers. The pond again was
full of Red-necked Phalaropes. From there we jaunted over to the swale
where the Buff-breasted Sandpipers had been and sure enough there they
were. The two birds walked up to 20 feet in front of us, by us just
standing still! But the day was far from over, a quick stop at the Game
Range yielded Pacific Golden Plovers and Black-bellied Plovers. Another
quick stop at Bills Spit yielded Curlew, Whimbrel, and Marbled Godwit.
There were several least Sandpipers there as were 2 Ruddy Turnstones
(juv.). By that time we had 19 species of Shorebirds and we got creative.
Since we had to up the Kitsap Penisula to go home (my birding friend lives
in Kingston) we decided one lifer for each of us wasn't enough. There had
been a Bar-tailed Godwit at the Blyn Crossing earlier in the week and even
though it was a long shot we were feeling quite lucky. When we got to Blyn
the light was beginning to dim (6:20) but we still had a good hour plus of
daylight. Here we had all there plovers American, Pacific and
Black-bellied as well as a lone Black Turnstone. Now we had 21 species of
Shorebirds and all I needed to break my single day Shorebird record was
the Bar-tailed Godwit. Well as luck has to run out sometime the Godwit was
a no show, but a good sighting did come for our 22 shorebird species. A
juvinile Red Knot was among the Dowitchers, which was a Clallam Co. bird
for me. During the ride home I pondered the fact of what the day might
have been considering we didn't go to the jetty and consequently missed
Surfbird and Wandering Tattler and possibly Sanderling on the ocean Beach.
I found myself looking that a 25 shorebird species day had been possible
perhaps even probable. In the end we had 9 species of gulls and terns, 22
species of shorebirds and still only 54 species for the day, I would be
interested to see what other people can recollect about numbers of
Shorebirds species seen in a day in Washington. I would think 30 species
would not be unheard of.

Scott Downes
sdownes at u.washington.edu
Seattle WA