Thanks to all of the Tweeters who replied to my request for
information about coastal birding opportunities. We left Albion March 11
driving straight to Astoria. Then birded the coast March 12-14, from
Astoria to Ocean Shores then up Hood River Canal to Port Angeles then back
to Port Townsend. March 15 was a straight drive from Bremerton back to
Albion. The result was 98 species of birds including ten lifers and some
great scenery. My 400th ABA-area lifer was a Hutton's Vireo at Willapa Bay
National Wildlife Refuge singing from a pine tree. The other lifers were:
Red-throated Loon, Black-legged Kittiwake (north jetty of Columbia River),
Brant, Harlequin Duck, Ruddy Turnstone (Ediz Hook with a bunch of Black
Turnstones), Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Rhinocerus Auklet (Port Townsend),
and Marbled Murrelet. Our two favorite spots were Ediz Hook, near Port
Angeles, and Point Wilson, near Port Townsend. We had a great time and came
close to a clean sweep of "regular" ducks in Washington (only missed
Cinammon Teal and Blue-winged Teal).
Signs of spring on the trip: singing Winter Wrens, Hutton's Vireo,
Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Spotted Towhees. Two Common Loons had molted
into alternate plumage (both at John Wayne Marina near Sequim). A pair of
House Finches in Bremerton were carrying nesting material. We didn't see
anything I would consider "rare"; we did see a small group of Snow Geese
along the Yakima River along I-90 near Ellensberg on Sunday.
I will post a longer report later, probably next week. I am headed
to Boise to finish spring break (and hopefully to add lifer #408, a
Red-shouldered Hawk hanging around Nampa at Lake Lowell) and visit my family.

Deb Beutler
Department of Zoology
P.O. Box 644236
Washington State Univerisity
Pullman, Whitman Co., WA
dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu