Subject: Priblof Is. race of Rock Sandpiper remains
Date: Dec 17 18:38:59 2000
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded at Ocean Shores, where the weather was much
improved comapared to yesterday in W WA, as mostly cloudy to partly sunny
skies prevailed, and moderate winds occured, and few minor rain showers. The
main highlight was the Priblof Island race of the ROCK SANDPIPER(confirmed)
at the Ocean Shores Jetty at 2:15pm-3:30pm, as more quality photographes
were taken, as the bird foraged with nearby darker dominate race of ROCK
SANDPIPERS, with 10 birds, that regularly occur at coastal WA locations, and
SURFBIRDS with a total of 124 birds. We watched the bird, as it mainly
foraged with Surfbirds, than the Rock Sandpipers, but all the main features
of it's identification fieldmarks were noted, including the nearly all white
underwings in brief flight, in contrast with the noticebly smaller, darker
regular occuring subspecies, that show darker inner underwings. The white
wing stripe on the upperwing is also more apparent and visible in flight,
than the nearby darker race, with the latter fieldmarks seen clearly on this
occasion, and not on previous observations. This large "rockbird" flock,
which is contained 17 Black Turnstones was not noted during a morning visit,
so it is very possible that the flock flew over from the Westport jetty, or
were further east on the same jetty at Ocean Shores, but closer towards the
sewage treatment plant. During our morning visit we encountered 1 dark morph
GYRFALCON, flying in off the ocean, then heading north of the jetty along
the outer beach, and a NORTHERN FULMAR offshore in the Grays Harbor channel.

At the Ocean Shores Golf Course the remaining 10 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE
were again noted, amongst nearby smaller races of Canada Geese.

At Damon Pt., a generous walk throughout the open dunes, and grasslands,
along with the area around the"pond" consisted of the following highlights:

7 BRANT
10 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS
8 GREATER YELLOWLEGS
1 immature SNOWY OWL
1 SHORT-EARED OWL
3 HORNED LARKS
1 PALM WARBLER
1 SAVANNAH SPARROW

Driving along Fairwood Dr., at an isolated court, a HERMIT THRUSH was noted,
along with 14 Yellow-rumped "Myrtle" Warblers. A immature NORTHERN SHRIKE
and a Ring-necked Pheasant were also two other notable species observed to
and from the Ocean Shores jetty along Fairwood Drive.

Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net