.........................Did a little 'light' bird watching as I pedaled
my bike Fri. aft. around Julia Butler Hansen White-tailed Deer Refuge
near Cathlamet, Wash. on the Columbia River. Violet-green Swallows were
very plentiful...along with Barn and Cliff Swallows. Lots of Cedar
Waxwings, along with some female Common Yellowthroats, and a few Western
Towhees.3 Pied-billed Grebes, an Osprey, and lots of Kildeer...plus the
usual assortment of the more' generic 'species of birds and ducks.
Numerous Red-tailed Hawks riding the updrafts.
..................Hiked up to and around the north end of Leadbetter
Point Sat.(tip of Long Beach Pen.Wash.) Thousands of Sanderlings kept me
company constantly(for being such a small shorebird, they certainly can
move very fast!!!) Several species of Gulls, along with a large mixed
flock of Black-bellied Plovers and Dunlin(both matures and immatures
noted). And....one lone Semipalmated Plover in the midst of them!!!!
Brown Pelicans, Cormorants, and Sooty Shearwaters passed just off shore
on occasion. Also, dead Common Murres were seen on the beach.
..................The Western Sandpipers(along with a good number of
Least Sandpipers) owned the mud flats on Willapa Bay side...astronomical
amounts of them. Black-bellied Plovers, Dunlin, lots of Semipalmated
Plovers, 2 Whimbrels, and a Red-necked Phalarope(in winter plumage).
Large flocks of Brown Pelicans everwhere, and a Harrier Hawk soaring
overhead, and....a variety of the usual more mundane species!!!!
...................Didn't walk in the woods. so perching birds weren't
particularly observed, except for quite a few Cliff Swallows flying over
the salt marsh. Sunday was cloudy with light rain showers or drizzle,
but Fri. Sat. and Mon. were 'picture perfect'.
...................Was fascinated by the movements of a very large crab
in shallow bay water at the north end of the point.Beauty not only lies
above the water, but also below the water!!!

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