Subject: Golden Plovers at Ocean Shores
Date: Aug 15 22:46:07 2001
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

Today Jim and Susan Hengeveld, and my mother and I birded the Ocean Shores
area, as we led Jim and Susan around the general Ocean Shores area, as they
are from Indiana, and wanted to work on their WA list, as well as do some
quality birding. They are spending several days in WA, as there main purpose
is attending the AOU(American Ornithologists Union) conference in Seattle.
Our main highlight of the day was 9 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS(8 alternate
plumaged adults, 1 juvenile)and 2 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS(alternate plumaged
adults) in one flock at the western portion of the Ocean Shores Game Range
at 12:45pm, which is accessed behind the Ocean Shores S.T.P. along Ocean
Shores Blvd. E(Sportsmans Ave.), which were all observed at very close range
for 20 minutes, as they would fly away then land again, as they seemed
somewhat restless, but we left them on the exposed mudflats at outgoing tide
as we left. This was our first golden plovers of the season at Ocean Shores,
and a relatively good count. Weather conditions throughout the day consisted
of constant light to moderate drizzle,occasional light wind, and dense fog
at times(low cloudiness), with probably best viewing conditions being from
9am-12pm, the conditions began to decrease making viewing quite difficult at
times, especially after 2pm. The cloudy conditions remained until east of
McCleary along Hwy.8, then skies turned totally clear on our way home.

We met Jim and Susan at Ocean City S.P. at 8am, where we did some minor
birding within the park entrance, as several small passerine flocks were
noted, and a few other highlights consisting of the following:

2 Green Herons(1 adult, 1 immature)
3 Wood Ducks
12+ Black-throated Gray Warblers

We then travelled to nearby Cyber Lake by 8:30am, where a few notable
species were observed including:

1 GREAT EGRET
1 immature Green Heron
3 female Hooded Mergansers
51 Greater Yellowlegs
2 Long-billed Dowitchers

The main disappointment again, as noted on the 10th was the lack of large
numbers of shorebirds at all locations throughout the day, despite dismal
weather conditions. We checked afew locations twice, but still came up short
on good shorebird diversity. A list of the following highlights noted at
selected locations follows as they occured:

Ocean Shores Game Range(accessed from Marine View Drive) 9am-10am(incoming
tide)

5 Red-throated Loons
32 Brown Pelicans
21 Surf Scoters
2 White-winged Scoters(including probably the same injured bird we noted on
the 12th at the Ocean Shores Jetty, as it rested along the exposed shoreline
allowing close approach)
2 Semipalmated Plovers
4 SNOWY PLOVERS(1 adult female, 1 immature, and 2 recently fledged young
approxiatmetly 2 weeks old, as all birds were photographed)
1 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Whimbrel
9 Western Sandpipers
102 Least Sandpipers
1 juvenal BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
1 dark-morph juvenal POMARINE JAEGER(observed chasing and pursueing a
moderate sized feeding seabird flock, consisting of mostly Heermann's Gulls,
California Gulls, and Caspian Terns)
450+ Caspian Terns(high count)
11 COMMON TERNS

Butter Clam St.beach access(accessed from Point Brown Ave.)
10:25am-10:45am, 5:10pm-5:25pm

310+ Sooty Shearwaters
1 male Ring-necked Pheasant
1 Wandering Tattler(heard and seen in flight only)
143 Sanderlings
1 adult PARASITIC JAEGER


W. Marine View Drive beach access 10:50am-11am, 4:15pm-4:55pm

12,000+ Sooty Shearwaters(approxiatemetly 250-300 birds per minute during
our evening visit, despite limited visibility, as all birds drifted from
south to north just offshore)
32 Black-bellied Plovers
132 Sanderlings
23 Least Sandpipers
15 Western Sandpipers
4 juvenal BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS

Ocean Shores Jetty 11:05am-12:30pm(outgoing tide)

460+ Sooty Shearwaters
27 Brown Pelicans
6 Brandt's Cormorants
43 Surf Scoters
16 White-winged Scoters
1 Wandering Tattler
13 Red-necked Phalaropes
1 Black-legged Kittiwake
2 COMMON TERNS
1 ANCIENT MURRELET

Ocean Shores Game Range, including Ocean Shores STP(accessed from Ocean
Shores Blvd.)
12:35pm-1:05pm

42 Brown Pelicans
1 female Green-winged Teal
1 female Northern Shoveler
2 female Red-breasted Mergansers
9 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS(8 adults, 1 juvenal)
2 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER(adults)
1 Greater Yellowlegs
325+ California Gulls
1 Black-legged Kittiwake
675+ Caspian Terns(increased numbers from nearby eastern portion of game
range)

Bill's Spit 1:18pm-1:35pm

13 Black-bellied Plovers
3 Short-billed Dowitchers
310+ California Gulls

Copalis Beach, Griffiths-Priday S.P. 2:15pm-2:45pm

1 GREAT EGRET
3 female Common Mergansers
13 Semipalmated Plovers
3 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Wandering Tattler(heard and seen in flight)
8 Western sandpipers
68 Least Sandpipers
2 juvenal BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS
565+ California Gulls
3 COMMON TERNS

Damon Point 3:15pm-4:08pm

large rafts of both Surf and White-winged Scoters in North Bay
5 Semipalmated Plovers
22 Least Sandpipers

Hoquim STP 6:30pm-6:50pm

2 female Green-winged Teal
6 Northern Pintail
1 female Blue-winged Teal
5 female Northern Shovelers
1 male Ring-necked Duck
10(7 males, 3 females)Greater Scaup
1 female Common Goldeneye
1 female Bufflehead
14+ Northern Rough-winged Swallows


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWOIT at worldnet.att.net