Folks, Seen on Sunday, February 2.................

while doing my frequent bird monitoring of what's flying and swimming
around the fishing pier/surrounds, saw a small flock of sandpipers flying
in their usual tight, nervous formation. They swept across the beach park
then within 30' of me just over the middle of the fishing pier. They flew
low along the west face of the rock jetty and landed near the point of the
"L", alas just beyond easy binos range. But, from what I could see in
flight: Smaller than Killdeer size, generally dark greyish with heads
about same shade of grey as back with lighter belly, thin diagonal white
stripe along top of wings, some birds had a whitish top of tail, and at
least one had a noticeably longer bill than the others.

Conclusion: A small flock of Surf Birds with at least one Rock Sandpiper.
Shorebirds are generally rare in the Des Moines area, so this was a real
treat!

Also seen again were all 3 species of scoters with especially the
White-winged scoters coloring up and pairing off. Brandt's,
Double-crested, and Pelagic cormorants remain plus a sub-adult plumed
Pelagic has joined our single adult wintering Pelagic. The easy and close
viewing offers a good study and contrast of this small, graceful,
aquamarine-eyed species. Hope to see the blue chin become visible on the
beige-throated Brandt's cormorant soon, and some adult Double-crested's
already have brightened-orange throat pouches. It's only February 2!!!
All these winter residents will leave sometime in the next few weeks.

The Marina Pied-billed grebes are really coloring up and forming pairs.
And our remaining two Great Blue Herons (the resident Bald Eagles enjoy
dining on heron nestlings and maybe even unwary adults) are elaborating
their nuptial plumes, hopefully not in vain, if they continue nesting at
the eagle-raided beach park heronry......clearly an exercise in "survival
of the fittest."

More as seen,
Maureen E. Ellis me2 at u.washington.edu Univ of WA and Des Moines WA