Subject: Quack, quack, I'm back!!!....From S.W. Wash.
Date: Jul 6 20:34:03 1999
From: Gerald Hamilton - gerald at e-z.net


......................It's been since April-----6 day work weeks(..in one
case 7 days!!), and a vacation to see my daughter and grandchildren in
Lodi, Calif. have really demolished my supply of free time to do any
neat things like 'birding'. Returned via Big Sur up the coast Hwy. 1 to
near Eureka. Ocean scenery was 'awesome'. and even saw a first at Morro
Bay: a female Red-necked Phalarope. But....all this is a another
story!!!
......................Was on Long Beach peninsula, Wash. this weekend.
Both Sat. and Sun. aft. there was high tide in Willapa Bay with only a
Greater Yellowlegs, Great Blue Heron, and some Western Sandpipers, along
with 2 West. Grebes to be seen.
.......................All the action seem to be happening on the ocean
beach north of Oysterville Rd.(...the far north end of the peninsula
where cars and trucks are *not* allowed on the beach in summer).Zillions
of Western Sandpipers everywhere, with a good number of Black-bellied
Plovers, some still in black and white breeding plumage. 4 Semipalmated
Plovers were mixed in with the Sandpipers. On Sat. aft. about 18
Short-billed Dowitchers were seen, but on Sun. aft. with an incoming
tide, there were almost twice that many Short-bills seen( I have never
seen this may Short-billed Dowitchers in one location before!!). Flocks
of Cormorants(Brandt's or Pelagic--I don't know), along with some Brown
Pelicans--all heading* north* off the shore for some reason.
..........................But what was even more interesting were the
hundreds of Gulls and Terns in large groups up the beach. Mostly Western
and Glaucous-winged Gulls, with some Heerman's Gulls, and small numbers
of California Gulls(with their slightly smaller size, and yellow-green
legs) along with gobs of Caspian Terns. Saw several pink-legged Gulls
with dark eyes with yellow eyelid ringing eye. Seems to fit the
description of Thayer's Gull, but I don't know. Also saw several Gulls
with 4 white squares in a row on their black tails(yellow bill and pink
legs) Herring Gulls??????. But..... both of these latter Gulls are
generally not seen here at this time of year. So now I am *not* really
sure what I saw!!!!!!!!!!!
----------------Now if I could learn to distinguish between the
different species of 1st and 2nd year immature Gulls!!!!!!!!
Ge-e-e-e-e-sh!!!!
Have a good day!!! (-:

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