.........Spent Sat. and Sun. by the seashore, and, boy, the weather was
almost unbelievably perfect for hiking up and down the beach!!!!!!
.........Some interesting and/or noteworthy observations, birdwise:

--------Zillions and zillions of Caspian Terns!!!!!!! At the
Columbia River beach just north of the South Jetty( Lot C) near Astoria,
Oreg., I didn't individually count every tern (since they were so
numerous!!), but counted a block of 50, and split the remaining into
similiar-sized blocks, and estimated about 450 Caspians Terns. Lesser
amounts were observed at the pond to the east of Lot D. And were they a
noisy bunch!!!!!! Some of them showed their displeasure with me
"invading their domain" by screaming at me and 'dive'bombing'
me........And, in the middle of this chaos of white sat a group of 15
Hermann's Gulls, nonchalantly observing the scene around them.A few
California Gulls and Glaucous-winged Gulls pranced around. Flocks of
Brown Pelicans flew over the end of the jetty. Didn't see any other
species of terns(like Elegant Terns) mixed in.
------------North to Leadbetter Point on Long Beach Penin.,
Wash.: Western Sandpipers everywhere on the beach!!! One large group of
perhaps 120 Sanderlings observed, many in various degrees of losing the
rusty color on upper breast and head. Some Ruddy Turnstones sighted,
with bigger nunbers on the mud flats of Willapa Bay. Among the
Sandpipers was a Short-billed Dowitcher. Some larger dark-grayish
shorebirds observed a 'long 'distance out on the mudflats of Willapa
Bay, so far out that a 40-power scope could not bring ou enough detail
for positive identification....maybe Curlews or Yellowlegs....who
knows!!!!!
------------Other birds seen that we won't talk about, except
1 little White-crowned Sparrow that took an interest in me, getting
close enough to almost land on my hand!! This little guy didn't seem to
fear me at all, observing me closely for the longest time. Also saw a
very large hawk on a fence post along Wash. Hwy. 4. But traveling at 60
mph and having cara right behind me, I didn't think it would be a wise
move to suddenly stop to identify this hawk!!!!

Have a good day............

Gerald Hamilton
Brush Prairie, Wash.
gerald at e-z.net