Hello Tweets,

Today Dave Hayden, and my mother and I birded at Ocean Shores, with several
quality highlights, and weather conditions consisting of locally dense
isolated morning fog, being slow to burn off, and calm winds, turning to
mostly sunny skies, then fog forming back late in the day. The heaviest fog
occured mainly along Hwy.12, west of McCleary, being isolated to Ocean
Shores, but we were able to locate 1 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK at Satsop, and a
WESTERN SCRUB JAY at Central Park, with both birds observed while driving.

We started out at the Ocean Shores Golf Course, where 10 GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were noted at the north end of the golf course, and a
single male EURASIAN WIGEON, an adult PEREGRINE FALCON, and 48
"Cackling"Canada Geese at the south end of the course, west of Pt.Brown Ave.
At the Ocean Shores Marina, we briefly checked for the TROPICAL KINGBIRDS,
but NO luck, as other birders were also present on site. We then headed
straight to the Ocean Shores Jetty, but located a immature NORTHERN SHRIKE
on the intersection of Marine View Drive and Fairwood Ave., as were several
Yellow-rumped"Myrtle"Warblers flycatching over the road, and from thick
vegetation. We arrived at the jetty at 9am, where we scoped the offshore
waters to the SW, and located up to 6 NORTHERN FULMARS, with 2 light-morph
birds, and 4 dark- morph birds, and 3 SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATERS, and 4
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES. Walking half-way out onto the jetty produced 3 ROCK
SANDPIPERS, 7 SURFBIRDS, and 9 Black Turnstones, and better views of 2
Northern Fulmars close to the jetty, and one of the Short-tailed Shearwaters
off the tip of the jetty, 22 PACIFIC LOONS, 9 RED-THROATED LOONS, and 18
BRANT, with both species seen flying north to south offshore.

Next, we walked the west end of the Ocean Shores Game Range, behind the
Ocean Shores S.T.P. and located 1 adult ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, 1 adult PEREGRINE
FALCON, and 3 pair of HARLEQUIN DUCKS, as they still reside along the east
portion of the extended jetty. From 10:15am-1pm, we birded the entire Damon
Point area, being all by foot, as the main highlight was 2 SNOWY OWLS, with
1 adult female(showing minor black spots on the lower back), and 1
immature,(being much darker overall, giving the bird a mottled appearance).
Other highlights at this location, with extensive walking the dunes
included:

6 Black-bellied Plovers
8 GREATER YELLOWLEGS
2 Common Snipes
1 LEAST SANDPIPER
76 Dunlin
1 adult ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
3 SHORT-EARED OWLS
16 HORNED LARKS
1 PALM WARBLER(well observed and photographed along the shores of the Damon
Pt."pond")
1 SAVANNAH SPARROW
9 LAPLAND LONGSPURS
8 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS

At the Ocean Shores Game Range, west of Damon Point along the beach
shoreline, light conditions were greatly reduced looking to the west, but 10
BLACK SCOTERS were noted, then looking to the north 4 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED
GEESE, 1 immature ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK(flying along the northern edge of the
Salicornia fields of the game range), 45 Dunlin, 1 Common Snipe(flying),and
12 Black-bellied Plovers on the exposed mudflats, north of the sandy spit,
but NO sign of the MERLIN that we photographed on the 24th of November. We
rechecked the Ocean Shores Jetty at 3pm, where light conditions were very
poor as before, due to the sunlight, but up to 3 Northern Fulmars, and 3
Black-legged Kittiwakes were noted offshore to the south, at the the mouth
of Grays Harbor, with 1 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, well observed and
photographed, roosting in the exposed sunlight and preening on a nearby
rooftop at close range for up to 30 minutes, before flying back out to Grays
Harbor. The presumed 4 Greater White-fronted Geese seen earlier were again
seen flying overhead, then back towards the game range, being our only other
notable highlight at this location.

At 3:45 we rechecked the Ocean Shores Marina, and located a huge incoming
roosting flock of Dunlin at high tide at the base of Damon Point, containing
up to 5,500 birds, being our most impressive flock sight of the day, with
most birds remaining in flight, as they whirled around low overhead, just to
the SE, and few birds actually grounded during our brief visit. We were able
to locate one of the SNOWY OWLS perched in a snag, and the adult
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, being both at the tip of Damon Point, and seen from the
marina from our spotting scope. 56 LEAST SANDPIPERS were noted within the
protected marina, foraging with 7 Black Turnstones on several floating
pilings, 1 Red-throated Loon, and an adult Cooper's Hawk, perched briefly on
the surrounding jetty. A short walk along the canal west of the marina along
Pt.Brown Ave., produced a single ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, the shortly later
at the intersection of Tounquin Ave., and the north side of Pt.Brown Ave.,
one TROPICAL KINGBIRD was observed flycatching along powerlines at 4pm,
being still present, but working towards the marina, as we left it.

We stopped by the Hoquim S.T.P. on our way home briefly, as a single male
CANVASBACK, and up to 23 RUDDY DUCKS were noted, despite the limited
lighting conditions at 4:30pm.

Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net