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> From: Ruth Sullivan <godwit at worldnet.att.net>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Olympic pennisula birding highlights
> Date: Sunday, October 17, 1999 10:00 AM
>
> 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.

Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net