Subject: Olympic pennisula birding highlights
Date: Oct 17 10:00:14 1999
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

Yesterday October 16th, my mother and I birded Clallam and Jefferson Cos,
after I met her at W.Sequim Bay at Blyn, after I owled the early morning in
Mason and Jefferson Cos. A total of 114 combined species were noted and the
weather was rather cool in the AM with patchy frost and fog in places, and
mostly sunny skies, with minor wind, then warming to the low 60's in the
afternoon. Listed highlights were as followed:

3 EARED GREBES off Mystery Bay S.P., Jefferson Co.
1 female CINNAMON TEAL in ponds along Kitchen-Dick Rd. at Dungeness,CL
3 EURASIAN WIGEONS at two locations: 1 at Three Crabs Waterfront,CL and 2
at Ft.Flagler S.P., Jefferson Co.
16 species of shorebirds including:
4 AM.GOLDEN PLOVERS at Ediz Hook,CL
9 MARBLED GODWITS at Dungeness,CL
RED KNOTS(late)at two locations with: 10 at Blyn,CL and 2 on the north end
of Indian Island , viewed from the extreme west tip of Ft.Flagler SP
1 LESSER YELLOWLEGS at Nordland,JE
SURFBIRDS at two location with both sightings with Black Turnstones, 25 at
Ft.Flagler SP, and 2 at Ediz Hook,CL
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER , 12 at Blyn,CL, and the north end of Indian
Island,JE
RUDDY TURNSTONE, 1 at Ediz Hook,CL

PARASITIC JAEGER, 2 off of Ft.Flagler SP,JE chasing Boneaparte's Gulls
ANCIENT MURRELET, 2 off Diamond Pt.,CL
Owls: 5 species including 1 BARN OWL along FR 24 in powerline clearings,
west of Eldon,Mason Co.
AM.DIPPER, 3 at two locations with: 1 at Gorst,Kitsap Co., and 2 at the
Quilcene Fish Hatchery,JE
NORTHERN SHRIKE, 1 at Three Crabs,CL

On the late evening of October 15th, I travelled to Mason Co. to work on my
county list, specifically for owls in both Mason and Jefferson Cos.,
starting along Hwy.106, south of Potlatch in Mson Co., where a WESTERN
SCREECH OWL was heard amongst the large stands of Cottonwood trees. I
headed for FR 24, to owl along the road to Mt.Ellinor, east of Lake
Cushman, which produced only 2 N.PYGMY OWLS. As I headed east towards
Hwy.101 along FR 24 I stopped in an extensive powerline clearing, where a
lone BARN OWL was noted as it called in flight, a distant Great Horned Owl,
and 3 N.SAW-WHET OWLS at close range. A mile west of Hwy.101, FR 24 was
blocked by a fallen tree, so I had to backtrack to FR 25, then to the
highway. In Jefferson Co., I owled along the gravel road to Mt.Walker,
where a single N.SAW-WHET OWL was heard, and at dawn a N.PYGMY OWL, 1
HERMIT THRUSH, Varied Thrush, and 2 Gray Jays, all a mile below the top. I
briefly checked the Quilcene Fish Hatchery, before heading north to Diamond
Pt., and observed 2 AM.DIPPERS along the Quilcene River. At Diamond Pt. 2
ANCIENT MURRELETS were noted among the several MARBLED MURRELETS offshore
and other "common" alcids. At 9:30am, I met my mother at Blyn at W.Sequim
Bay, where we were treated to a good gathering of shorebirds including: 10
RED KNOTS, 38 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, 12 S.B.DOWITCHERS, 1 DUNLIN, 5 WESTERN
SANDPIPERS, 1 BLACK TURNSTONE, and 1 LEAST SANDPIPER, and 1 COMMON SNIPE.
Next, at Three Crabs, a single EURASIAN WIGEON was noted amongst the 450
Am.Wigeon flock near shore, and a adult NORTHERN SHRIKE and MERLIN. 9
MARBLED GODWITS were noted at incoming high tide near the Dungeness Oyster
House, and 10 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS in the old "Skylark" field, near
Dungeness. Along Kitchen-Dick Rd., south of the Dungeness Rec.Area, we
checked the private ponds, where 1 female CINNAMON TEAL was noted along
with a pair of WOOD DUCKS, and other common ducks. At Ediz Hook, a careful
look at a roosting shorebird flock on nearshore log booms, produced 4
AM.GOLDEN PLOVERS, 45 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, 1 DUNLIN, 23 SANDERLINGS, 2
SURFBIRDS, 48 BLACK TURNSTONES, and 1 RUDDY TURNSTONE.

In Jefferson Co., we birded the midafternoon starting at Oak Bay Rec.Area,
where 4 GR.YELLOWLEGS were noted. At Nordland, on Marrowstone Island, a
single LESSER YELLOWLEGS was noted, and 3 EARED GREBES, 78 PACIFIC LOONS,
and another Gr.Yellowlegs at Mystery Bay SP, and finally a extensive search
of Ft.Flagler SP, produced 2 EURASIAN WIGEONS in a settling pond at the
east part of the park, and a group of 25 SURFBIRDS with 17 Black Turnstones
on the rocky/sandy spit at the west end of the park. A scan of a shorebird
flock on the private north end of Indian Island produced 28 BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVERS, 2 RED KNOTS, 2 S.B.DOWITCHERS,and 30 SANDERLINGS, and a scan of
offshore waters to the north produced "our" first 2 OLDSQUAWS of the
season, and 2 PARASITIC JAEGERS, chasing Boneaparte's Gulls.