Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded mainly Ocean Shores, with a few minor stops
made at other locations along the way to and from our destination. The
weather was great at Ocean Shores itself, with mostly sunny skies, and minor
wind at times, unlike the Mud Bay-Elma areas that consisted of moderate rain
at times. The best highlight of the day was 1 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, 9
AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS, and 2 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS all at Damon Pt. from
3pm-4:30pm

We started the day at Mud Bay in Thurston Co., where 72 BONEAPARTE'S GULLS,
1 MEW GULL, and 63 GREATER YELLOWLEGS were at outgoing tide, then at Brady
Loop Rd. "wetland", where shorebird and waterfowl numbers were quite low,
but better in the late afternoon, and consisted of the following:

2 LESSER YELLOWLEGS
9 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS
2 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS
1 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER
76 WESTERN SANDPIPERS
23 LEAST SANDPIPERS
1 SPOTTED SANDPIPER
7 COMMON SNIPE
19 NORTHERN PINTAIL
8 BLUE-WINGED TEAL
5 CINNAMON TEAL
3 GREEN-WINGED TEAL
4 NORTHERN SHOVELERS

At 10am we were at the Hoquim STP, where 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were noted
amongst several gulls and a few ducks including:

17 GREATER SCAUP
4 LESSER SCAUP
8 BLUE-WINGED TEAL
3 CINNAMON TEAL
11 GREEN-WINGED TEAL
5 NORTHERN PINTAILS
5 NORTHERN SHOVELERS
15 GADWALL

Also noted at this location in an alder thicket was a singing WILLOW
FLYCATCHER, just N of the main pond.

At Cyber Lake(near Oyhut), just N of Hwy.115, and south of Ocean City S.P.,
behind the North Beach Middle and Senior High School were: 58 GREATER
YELLOWLEGS, and 1 LESSER YELLOWLEGS on a recently built wooden bridge over
the lake.

At Ocean Shores our first stop was made at the Ocean Shores jetty, where a
single WANDERING TATTLER was amongst 5 SURFBIRDS, and 5 BLACK TURNSTONES,
then a quick check at the Ocean Shores STP produced 2 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS,
and 4 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS. At 1pm we birded the O.S.Game Range,which was
very slow, at incoming tide with the following notable species:

1 YELLOW-BILLED LOON
13 RED-THROATED LOONS
1 PACIFIC LOON
1 winter-plumaged MARBLED MURRELET
15 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS

Our last stop at Ocean Shores was made at Damon Point, where we walked to
the "pond", and the surrounding areas north to the bay side, with the
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER observed at the W end of the pond at 3pm, (being my
1st in 5 years), then flew to the east end, and could not be relocated upon
fairly extensive searching, but is probably still around hiding in the
plentiful beach grass, and other native beach vegetation. Other notable
species at this location consisted of:

9 AM.GOLDEN PLOVERS(adults)
2 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS(1 adult, 1 juvenal)
1 BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS
1 RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
2 RUDDY TURNSTONES
1 juvenal DUNLIN
1 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS
6 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS
185 WESTERN SANDPIPERS
45 LEAST SANDPIPERS
12 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS
2 GREEN-WINGED TEAL

Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net