Hello Tweets,

Today Dave Hayden, and my mother, and I birded Grays Harbor and Pacific
Cos., mainly from Ocean Shores to Tokeland and Westport, then the Brady area
on the way home. The weather was great, and warm, after cold temperatures
during the morning, and moderate wind, closest to the water. The best
highlight was a calling ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER* at Tokeland in a small
woodlot within the Bayshore RV Park, but could not be located due to limited
access. A total of 103 species were encountered for the entire trip, despite
the wind at times, producing minimal coverage near the mouth of Grays
Harbor.

We started out at Ocean Shores, where we covered the walk to the Damon Pt.
pond from 8:30am-9:30am with very few birds on the pond itself, but a few
species noted within the entire walk to and from the parking lot including
the following highlights:

1 WESTERN GREBE
3 HORNED GREBES
1 AM.GOLDEN PLOVER
2 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS
1 SANDERLING
2 BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS
1 RUDDY TURNSTONE
5 BLACK TURNSTONES
2 adult PEREGRINE FALCONS
43 AM.PIPITS

We birded the nearby eastern part of Ocean Shores Game Range briefly, as we
were on our way to Tokeland, but managed to locate 2 male BLACK SCOTERS, and
1 WANDERING TATTLER on and near the exposed jetty, with 17 RED-THROATED
LOONS, and 2 PACIFIC LOONS offshore fighting the waves, and 34 AM.PIPITS
foraging amongst the scattered driftwood along the beach. We then checked
the Ocean Shores STP, where 7 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were located along the
vegetated edges of the ponds as they foraged and roosted with 2 SHORT-BILLED
DOWITCHER. Other notable birds at this location were: 1 BLUE-WINGED TEAL 2
GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 3 NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS, and 5 AM.PIPITS. On the
way out of Ocean Shores, at Cyber Lake along Hwy.115, were 11 GREATER
YELLOWLEGS, then another flock of approxiametely 25 birds were noted, just
north of Ocean Shores S.P, also on Hwy.115.

At Bottle Beach at outgoing tide, shorebirding was near absent,as only 12
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS were noted amongst several pilings along the
shoreline, where it has normally been quite producive throughout the late
summer. Good numbers of migrating ducks were also noted on the shoreline,
as they foraged including:

1 female EURASIAN WIGEON
68 AM.WIGEON
165 NORTHERN PINTAILS
5 AM.PIPITS

Next, at Tokeland the tide was still very high at the Tokeland Marina, so we
checked the area near the Bayshore RV Park, off of the main road into
Tokeland, where I (Patrick)heard the ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER giving the
"prrittt" call, which I was familiar with, where they occur locally common
in Klickitat Co., and extreme eastern Skamania Co., at least this past
spring. The bird continued to call several times in a 45 minute period,
about every 5 minutes first, then every 10 minutes, after the first 25
minutes, but the bird would not show itself, as we tried on several attempt
to get closer, after it called, and attempted to gain access to the RV Park,
where it was calling from, but was not allowed, due to presence of
customers, so the bird could still remain, but undetected unless heard. We
waited another 15 minutes, then Dave and my mother went to the marina, where
they located 2 BAR-TAILED GODWITS, with the MARBLED GODWIT flock, which
contained 87 birds, and the winter adult AM.AVOCET*, orignally found on the
21st. Later, after arriving back at the flycatcher location my mother drove
me back to the marina, after still not being able to locate and hear the
bird again. We watched the large shorebird flock as the tide continued to
recede, where we located the third BAR-TAILED GODWIT, with all birds being
together for a short time, then the winter male departed to another location
leaving both females together for quality views,as they foraged at close
range along shoreline within the protected marina. Other notable species at
this location included:

12 COMMON LOONS
5 WESTERN GREBES
52 HORNED GREBES
12 WILLETS
1 WHIMBREL
4 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS
5 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS
17 WESTERN SANDPIPERS

At Westport, the wind was very evident, being on the south side of the mouth
of Grays Harbor, as at Ocean Shores, but at the base of the jetty at
Westhaven SP, were: 13 WESTERN GREBES(offshore), 6 SURFBIRDS, 1 WANDERING
TATTLER, and 3 BLACK TURNSTONES, then heading out of the city back to
Hwy.105 was a single MERLIN, being are second of the day, as another was
seen along Hwy.8, just west of Summit Lake in Thurston Co. near a clearcut,
as our first good bird of the day.

We then headed towards Brady Loop Rd., driving along Hwy.105 back to
Aberdeen. 2 OSPREYS were noted, just west of the Aberdeen city limits, being
our only two of the day. At the Brady Loop Rd. wetland shorebirds were few,
except for 4 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, and a single GREATER YELLOWLEGS, as the
main shorebird habitat is quickly drying up, with minimal mud available, and
a small pond, where our main highlight at this location occured, with 6
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, and 4 AM.PIPITS.


* indicates 1st county record

Good Birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net