Hi Tweets,

Based on Ryan Shaw's and Patrick and Ruth Sullivan's excellent reports from
Ocean Shores, I ventured out to the Damon Point area yesterday (Monday
August 28th) to try to track down these birds. I was easily able to locate
theYELLOW-BILLED LOON at the submerged jetty at the southeast corner of
Damon Point. At about 8:30 a.m. the bird, now in almost full basic plumage,
was resting only about a hundred yards off shore and was seen quite well in
the morning light. I then headed back to Damon Point Pond (I had looked for
the sandpipers earlier in the morning with no luck). I stationed myself at
the east end of the pond to wait for high tide and watched a GREATER
YELLOWLEGS as it fed along the south side of the pond. At about 9:30, the
yellowlegs flew up and was quickly tailed by three other shorebirds. I
immediately saw that they were the BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS. The
sandpipers landed on the north shore of the pond and I was able to observe
them off and on for the next two hours as they moved all over the pond.
Mostly they fed along the north side working their way east along the grassy
shore. Frequently, however, they would fly over to the southeast side,
continuing to feed there. Typically confiding, the BUFF-BREASTS allowed
quite a close approach and I was able to take many photos of this delightful
shorebird. Otherwise birding was relatively slow except for the good numbers
of peeps both on the bay side of Damon Point at high tide and at Bottle
Beach just after high tide.

Many, many thanks to Ryan Shaw and Patrick and Ruth Sullivan for their
reports on these birds. It is so nice to be able to say that BUFF-BREASTED
SANDPIPER is no longer one of my jinx birds in the Northwest.

Good Birding!
Ted Kenefick
Seattle, WA
tedk at nwlink.com