Subject: Ocean Shores shorebirding and Westport pelagic: 11-12 September
Date: Sep 16 09:08:35 1999
From: Andy Stepniewski - steppie at wolfenet.com


Tweeters,

Here's an account of a trip to the Washington coast last weekend:

OCEAN SHORES SHORE BIRDING AND WESTPORT PELAGIC TRIP
11-12 SEPTEMBER 1999

I spent a weekend on the outer Washington coast with two major objectives
in mind: shore birding the Ocean Shores and Tokeland area (Saturday the
11th) and a pelagic trip off Westport (the 12th).

CHEHALIS WILDLIFE AREA. On the way to the coast, I stopped at the Chehalis
Wildlife Area to look for Green Heron. I was in luck this time (my fourth
try); I had stellar views of an adult perched in the shady recesses of a
dense willow. I reflected on the potential value of abandoned gravel
borrows, particularly if mining is designed so as to retain shallow slopes
at or near water table elevation such as this site apparently has. Presto!
A wonderful marsh habitat can easily develop. There could be hundreds of
wetlands such as this scattered throughout Washington, so pervasive are
gravel borrows. Unfortunately, many have been mined with volume of product
as the primary mission and left with steep sides, significantly reducing
wildlife potential.

I noted 25 species here during my one-hour visit, including: Pied-billed
Grebe (8+), Virginia Rail (4) calling to each other across the marshes,
Common Snipe (2), Belted Kingfisher, Steller?s Jay, Bushtit, Bewick?s Wren,
Marsh Wren (including some immatures), and Orange-crowned and Wilson?s
Warblers.

SHOREBIRDS AT OCEAN SHORES (11 SEPTEMBER). I began by walking out beyond
the pond on Damon Point (the margins of which had zero shorebirds) to the
area of extensive sandy flat interspersed with scattered driftwood. My goal
in this area were golden plovers; in my experience they are frequently
attracted to this area. Not so on this trudge. Not a shorebird in sight,
save a fly-over flock of Least Sandpipers and Whimbrels on the move.

On my return to the road I noticed a birder walking the dwarf vegetation
that has, in the past, proven attractive to Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Then I
noticed a Subaru with Washington plates PANDION, none other than George
Gerdts, indeed on a Buff-breast search! At the cars, as we were chatting,
my ear caught golden plover notes flying into the pond just beyond our line
of sight, so we headed back to see if we could see them. Well, the golden
plovers were no where to be seen, but George picked out a Buff-breasted
Sandpiper on the ?short-grass plains? on the south side of the pond. We
studied it at length, his sixth for Washington and my first. I wonder if
the few individuals of this scarce wader (perhaps no more than 30,000
globally) that ?go the wrong way? in the fall to the Pacific coast of
western North America (en route to their wintering grounds in the pampas
region of South America as opposed to their normal route south through the
mid-continent) ever reach their kin?

We both wanted to see Red Knots, so I mentioned to George a recent post on
Tweeters by Patrick Sullivan that mentioned a large number of knots amongst
many other shorebirds roosting on the outer beach at Ocean Shores. So we
headed over that way and started driving south on the beach along with
hundreds of other beach goers. Not a pleasant sight. Why do they still
allow driving on the beach here? So what if a few tow truck operators go
out of business! At any rate, beyond the crowds we did indeed encounter
Patricks shorebirds. And thousands of them! It was such a memorable sight
to study so many birds as they roosted on the sands above the high tide
line between driftwood. We estimated the following:

Black-bellied Plover-1,500
American Golden-Plover-5
Pacific Golden-Plover-5
Red Knot - 75+
Sanderling-1,000+
Western Sandpiper-3,500+
Short-billed Dowitcher-250, all appeared to be juveniles

Most intriguing was a brief look of a tattler roosting amongst the
dowitchers, but, unfortunately ?it got away.? However, George had enough
of a look to note lighter and plainer flank coloration suggestive of a
vagrant Gray-tailed Tattler, although we realize we must leave this
individual un-identified.

Later in the afternoon, George and I donned our ?Wellingtons? and traipsed
about the Salicornia marshes at the Oyhut Game Range, with Sharp-tailed
Sandpiper as a fantasy bird. Sharp-tails eluded us (none have been reported
in the Pacific Northwest this season as far as we know, it being a little
on the early side), but we closely checked all the ?upland? pools in the
marsh.

We were, however, rewarded with absolutely stunning views of both American
and Pacific Golden-Plovers out on this walk. We were able to ascertain
there were three very bright juvenile Pacifics (two to three primaries
projecting beyond the tertials, very buffy and indistinct supercilium,
bright golden plumage, a truly marvelous bird!), and two American Goldens
(four to five primaries projecting, whitish supercilium, slightly larger,
much less golden tones). We were very excited to view these beautiful
creatures at such short range.

WESTPORT PELAGIC (12 SEPTEMBER). Many on board the boat trip were members
of a Massachusetts Audubon Society tour to western Washington (and southern
Vancouver Island) so most of the birds were new for these ?east coasters.?

Outbound, there were only a few Rhinoceros Auklets and Common Murres as
compared to the hordes I noted on the 7 August trip.

Laysan Albatross was seen twice, two birds or one sighted twice? I
theorized on the origin of the increasing number of late summer and fall
sightings; these might be birds from the , as yet small, west Mexico
breeding population. Terry agreed this was a reasonable conclusion.

Buller?s Shearwater were numerous (I counted many more than the ?official?
tally below) in a relatively narrow band some distance beyond the main
flocks of Sooty Shearwaters. Pink-footed Shearwaters were also occasionally
met with.

One South Polar Skua flying near a trawler provided a brief, but adequate
view of this acknowledged ?thug? of the high seas.

Only a very few Pomarine Jaegers and no Parasitics, let alone a
Long-tailed. Arctic Terns were also virtually absent. All the jaegers and
Arctic Terns were seen well on the 7 August trip I was on out of Westport.

Red Phalaropes were called out but I couldn?t distinguish them from
Red-neckeds on these distant fly-bys.

In bound we studied swimming shearwaters behind a trawler and noted
several ?all field mark? Short-tailed Shearwaters and one or two
Flesh-footed Shearwaters, making this one of my few ?five shearwater? days.

TOKELAND MARINA. After the pelagic trip, a quick stop on the homeward trip
at the Tokeland Marina revealed one Bar-tailed Godwit and a few Willets
amongst the several hundred Marbled Godwits roosting on the jetty.

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA