Hello Tweets,

As noted in our previous posting Jim and Susan Hengeveld, and my mother and
I had relatvely high numbers of both California Gulls and Caspian Terns at
most locations that we visited on the 15th(yesterday), as the Ocean Shores
Game Range being the most diverse in numbers, and species, with our personal
highest count of Caspian Terns noted, with smaller numbers of California and
Heermann's Gulls along the sandy upper beach, as they roosted, as well as
many calling in flight. The birds would occasionally lift into the air at
times, probably flushed by a nearby Bald Eagle, but most notably a several
beachcombers. We noted the largest flock of birds when we visted the western
portion of the game range at 12:35pm, as we watched both golden plover
species, that were foraging on the exposed mudflats. In addition to large
numbers of gulls and terns at the Ocean Shores Game Range, we also
encountered relatively good numbers of cormorants, and Brown Pelicans
roosting on the exposed rock outcropings, as they normally do, with 75% of
the cormorants being 1st year Double-crested Cormorants, with their pale
upperparts, but several Pelagic Cormorants were also observed, and probably
Brandt's Cormorant too. A list of the gull and tern flocks(in 3 seperate
flocks) at the Ocean Shores Game Range during our afternoon visit included:

248 Heermann's Gulls(95% adults, 5 % 1st year birds)
7 Ring-billed Gulls(adults)
325+ California Gulls(60% adults, 35% juvenals, 5% 1st summer birds)
6 Western Gulls(all juvenal birds)
47 Glaucous-winged/Western Gull hybrids(70% adults, 30 1st year birds)
1 Black-legged Kittiwake(single non-breeding bird)
Caspian Terns(75% adults, 25% juvenals)
62 COMMON TERNS(all adult birds, with the only 1st year bird noted of the
day at the Ocean Shores Jetty, as it roosted)

Copalis Beach(Griffiths-Priday State Park)

Gull flocks at this location were far less notable than on our August 12th
visit, but viewing conditions were quite limited, but we did manage to
locate relatively good numbers of gull and terns including the entire
following:

67 Heermann's Gulls(95% adults, 5% 1st year birds)
565+ California Gulls(65% adults, 35% juvenals)
3 Western Gulls(all juvenals)
14 Glaucous-winged/Western Gull hybrids(10 adults, 4 juvenals)
16 Black-legged Kittiwakes(all non-breeding birds)
47 Caspian Terns(35 adults, 12 juvenals)
3 COMMON TERNS(all adults)

Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net