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> From: Ruth Sullivan <godwit at worldnet.att.net>
> To: tweeters at u.wshington.edu
> Subject: Eurasian Dotterel at Ocean Shores
> Date: Saturday, October 23, 1999 6:19 PM
>
> Hello Tweets,
>
> Today Vicki Biltz of Bonney Lake, and my mother and I observed the
apparent
> juvenal EURASIAN DOTTEREL along with approxiametly 45 other birders from
> mainly WA and OR from 9am to 11:30am, with westerly winds blowing at
10-15
> mph and cloudy conditions, with NO fog due to the wind. The bird was
> located first at the west end of the O.S.Game Range approached from Snowy
> Plover nesting area at the base of Damon Pt. It mainly foraged, often
> loosely with Dunlin, Sanderlings,and Black-bellied Plovers, but near the
> end of the observations was seen primarily with a 350+ flock of Dunlin at
> soon approaching high tide further west on the available shoreline of the
> game range, as the bird was seen standing in the water at times, with the
> agitated shorebird flock, which would often land then fly, and continue
> this behavior for 30 minutes, possibly due to the sense of approaching
tide
> changes, until the EURASIAN DOTTEREL was seen flying loosely away to the
> east with a few Black-bellied Plovers, and out of sight. Several
> photographes were made after the main crowd of birders left, by
> mid-morning. Other notables on the game range included:
>
> 3 AM.GOLDEN PLOVERS
> 1 PAC.GOLDEN PLOVER
> 5 L.B.DOWITCHERS
> 11 S.B.DOWITCHERS
> 13 LEAST SANDPIPERS
> all 3 scoters including 18 BLACK SCOTERS
> 5 HERRING GULLS
> 1 THAYER'S GULL
> 1 MERLIN
> 20 LAPLAND LONGSPURS
>
>
> We also birded Damon Pt., with a fairly quick check at the Damon Pt.
pond,
> produced the possible same golden plover flock, previously found on the
> game range, with 4 birds. A immature NORTHERN SHRIKE was also present in
> the field to the north of the road, and 1 WESTERN SANDPIPER along the
> beach. At Bill's Spit at high tide, 75 MARBLED GODWITS and 45 L.B.CURLEWS
> were noted, before we headed home as the weather began to turn worse. A
> very rewarding day, none the less!!!!
>
> Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
> GODWIT at worldnet.att.net