..................This last Sunday:
..................Shorebirds are migrating. The beach(north end of Long
Beach Peninsula, Wash.) belonged the multitudes of West. Sandpipers and
Sanderlings( most of both species still seen in various degrees of
breeding plumage ---Sanderlings especially colorful). With then were a
number of Semipalmated Plovers; 11 Short-billed Dowitchers, and 6 Ruddy
Turnstones. 1 lone Black-bellied Plover(in breeding plumage) was seen
with them. Several California Gulls were seen with the number of
Glaucous-winged Gulls. Numerous Caspian Terns were noisy and made their
presence well known.
.................Lines of Cormorants (judging by size and flight
patterns---Brandt's Cormorants) were seen all afternoon flying low off
shore and over the beach. Also numerous groups of Brown Pelicans were
observed flying back and forth all aft. off shore also.
.................Very low tide at Willapa Bay made for a mud flat as far
as the eye could see. Other than the usual Herons, Gulls, Crows, and
small flocks of Sandpipers, no other species of shorebird was observed
in range I could see. A mature Bald Eagle carried a large fish in his
talons across the flats before settling down near the muddy shore to
enjoy his meal. Saw a smaller hawk in flight overhead---had wing
markings and breast coloration, etc. to suggest a Cooper's Hawk, but due
to its summer rarity in these parts, and that I only could see the
underneath, we will have to leave this one to "conjecture"!!!
................So went the afternoon!!!!!!!

Gerald Hamilton
Brush Prairie, Wash.
gerald at e-z.net