Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded Ocean Shores and vicinity, with mild
temperatures and a slight breeze, starting off with minor AM drizzle,
turning to partly sunny skies, with 94 total species, mainly in Grays
Harbor County. Highlights at Ocean Shores included:
1 female RUDDY DUCK*
1 male BLACK SCOTER*
5 BRANT*
1 female AM.KESTREL*
1juv.BAIRD'S SANDPIPER(early fall migration datefor juv. for the coast)
5 RUDDY TURNSTONES
1 female PURPLE MARTIN*(rare anytime)
*indicates rare to very rare in summer, as written in Glen and Wanda Hoge's
"Bird's of Ocean Shores"
I have personally encountered BRANT, and BLACK SCOTER for the last 5
summers, so a trend can be growing on over summering non-breeders.

We started at the Ocean Shores Golf Course, where we encountered 12
WHIMBREL, despite the many golfers present on the front 9 holes, and 3
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS along the edge of the pond, across the street from
the O.S.Fire Station. Good numbers of W.SANDPIPERS and lesser numbers of
L.SANDPIPERS were visible around Bill's Spit, Damon Pt., and the O.S.Game
Range areas, with a few SEMI.PLOVERS and 5 additional Whimbrels present at
Damon Pt. and the game range. 2 GR.YELLOWLEGS were present at Bill's Spit,
and a thorough check of the O.S.Marina produced 1 female PURPLE MARTIN, 1
BLACK SCOTER, and 1 GREEN HERON. We also walked the north beach of Damon
Pt.(Catala Spit), where we found 1 BAIRD'S SANDPIPER(photographed), 5 RUDDY
TURNSTONES, 3 B.B.PLOVERS, 1 R.T.LOON, and 65 HEERMANN'S GULLS. The waters
off the south part of Damon Pt. and the game range was very productive,
with large numbers of RHINO.AUKLETS and C.MURRES, and HEERMANN'S GULLS with
lesser numbers of BROWN PELICANS,SOOTY SHEARWATERS, and P.GUILLEMOTS. 1
adult PEREGRINE FALCON, 3 GREATER SCAUP, 5 BRANT, and 2 H.LARKS were
present at the west end of the O.S.Game Range, just below the sewage ponds.
1 female RUDDY DUCK was observed at the east end of Lake Minard, along
Marine View Drive, which was my first for Ocean Shores. After leaving Ocean
Shores, my mother spotted a female AM.KESTREL in a clearcut as we travelled
east towards Hoquim, and on our way home we stopped and birded the wetlands
off of Schouweiler Rd., just west of Elma, where we saw 1 AM.BITTERN, 2
P.B.GREBES, 3 MOURNING DOVES, and several singing B.H.GROSBEAKS. Several
TURKEY VULTURES were observed with 1 at Bowerman Basin, 5 along Hwy.12 at
Satsop, and 8 between Oakville and Rochester(Thurston Co.).

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net