On the way to Grayland, we birded Bottle Beach just north of Wesport and
the Westport area, stayed in a lovely motel on the beach in Grayland, and
checked out Tokeland as the weather deteriorated.
Went to the Crab Races in Westport and ate crab.
Watched a great sunset on Friday and
watched huge flocks of birds heading north out over the ocean Saturday
morning.
We were scopeless, so we couldn't identify them,
nor the little dark dots when the tide was out.

We highly recommend Bottle Beach. Heading south from Aberdeen on 105 and
about 5 miles?
north of Westport, watch for green signs on the left, Ocasta Sixth
Street, and slow down,
very soon you'll see a sign on the left Ocasta Third Street, and few
yards further on the right,
there's a very small turnout. Hard to see. On a corner and fast traffic.
Please be careful.

Walk a very short ways to the beach (watch for hummers,wrens, warblers)
and if the tide
is in, walk slowly to the edge and be amazed. 1000s of shorebirds right
in front of you.

We got rained and winded out of Ocean Shores on Sunday morning.

Next week is the start of the bird migration extravangazas, so places
that were people
empty this weekend will be crammed, no doubt.

Birds: quantity notes

bald eagle several individuals seen several places
red tailed hawk several "
turkey vulture 1

robin common
Steller's Jay several

rufous hummer several Bottle Beach

savannah Sparrow common
song Sparrow common
white-crowned sparrow common

tree swallow common
barn swallow some Bowerman Basin area
cliff swallow common Bowerman
violet green swallow some Bowerman

marsh wren common
winter wren several

redwinged blackbird common

yellow throat common
yellow-rumped warbler a few Bowerman
pheasant 1

Canada goose common
brandt goose several large groups

red breasted merganser 6
harlequin duck 1 Westport
mallard common
northern shoveller several
ruddy duck several Bowerman
lesser scaup 6
coot a few

black bellied plovers 100s, bottle beach
dunlins 100s, bottle beach
sanderlings 100s, bottle beach
western sandpipers 100s, bottle beach
shortbilled dowitchers many, bottle beach

caspian terns several Tokeland
yellowlegs several

black turnstone a group Westport jetty
marbled godwits 100+ Tokeland
willet several a few in many placesw
whimbrel several various places

kingfisher 1
killdeer common

great blue heron several

common loon several in different places as many as 10
pacific loon 1

pelagic cormorant bunches
double-c cormorant bunches

surf scoters a bunch
pigeon guillemote a group

pied bill grebe common

cowbird several, alas

We are not gullers, these we are sure of.

Thayer's gull common
glaucous gull common
herring gull common
ring billed gull several

RARITIES:

whatknots several Grayland and Tokeland
positive ID by call: wha-wha-what-AM-eye, wha-wha-what-AM-eye
and by habitat: mudflats, water, sky, shrubs, trees, rooftops

Migration is definitely underway.

Douglas Daily, Patty Federighi
Northgate, Seattle, WA
mailto: dfdaily at juno.com