Hi, Tweeters--

Don't quite know yet the protocol, i.e., what is acceptable for posting here.
However, being an old-time birder, would like to share today's sightings
with whomever is planning to go into the field tomorrow.

We have to leave about 6:00 a.m. to reach Sequim at roughly 10:.a.m.-just to
give you an idea of our time and itinerary. At the horse pond area there
were +/- 100 Common Snipe (more than we have ever seen in any one place),
some Long-billed Dowitchers and, for us, a good look an immature Northern
Shrike at the top of the tallest dead snag in the area.

We went on to Pt. Williams where we found some Oldsquaws (at least 2 males
and 2 females), Harlequin Ducks, Common Murres (in winter plumage), and the
usual complement of loons. grebes, scoters and cormorants. Question: could
Brandt's occur here? I saw a very long "stretched out" neck but no color
that I could see on the gular pouch. We did see both Double-crested and
Pelagic.

Speaking of color: it was one of the most beautiful days I have ever seen
here in WA: clear, brilliant, every bird we saw was in "technicolor"!

As a final note: at Diamond Pt. (about 1:30 p.m.), we saw a few Rhinoceros
Auklets and 4 or 5 Sanderlings. The main attraction was what looked like a
young Oldsquaw in the freshwater (?) lake acting absolutely "hyper":
alternately "surfing" and preening. We wondered if it were trying to rid
itself of something. The activity went on continuously in the presence of
some staid scaup and a few goldeneye's.

Incidentally, the only Western Grebes we saw were at Point-No-Point and we
only saw Canada Geese in a skein over the horizon.

Good birding! Murray Hansen and Betty Jones

Murray Hansen
Graham, WA
MurrayH at aol.com