Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded Kitsap County, from 6am-2pm, where weather
conditions were quite favorable, with mostly cloudy skies, and partial
clearing at times during mid-morning, and isolated showers late in the day.
We encountered several quality highlights including 2(1 adult winter, and 1
first-winter-plumaged)LITTLE GULLS at Point No Point, off of the Hansville
Lighthouse at 10:30am, being at out going tide, along with several other
notable species throughout the day at listed key locations.

Our day started along Stavis Bay Rd.NW, near Seabeck at 6am, where we
observed our first bird of the day, being a RUFFED GROUSE foraging along the
road, near Stavis Creek. Next we observed 6 MOUNTAIN QUAIL, with a pair well
photographed, SW of Seabeck, as we carefully watched them for 2 hours during
our stay, as they cautiously foraged along the ground, being very wary, as
they kept close watch on our presence, before we returned back to Stavis
Creek, where a singing AM.DIPPER was located in appropriate breeding
habitat.

At 9am we birded the Salsbury Point public boat launch, where good numbers
of waterfowl were noted including 3,200 Surf Scoters, and 350 LONG-TAILED
DUCKS, being both one of "our" personal highest count of both species in the
state at one time, as these birds were seen foraging amongst other more
common waterfowl, including both scaups, both goldeneyes, the other two
scoters, and various other species, including 2 ANCIENT MURRELETS, being
somewhat unusual in sheltered waters, away from areas that inhibit more
current action. A quick stop made at Port Gamble produced better looks at
the large concentrations of waterfowl, and other waterbirds including 2
EARED GREBES, and a first-winter GLAUCOUS GULL.

At 10:15am we arrived at Hansville, where lighting conditions improved, with
the sun to our back, as we scanned the offshore waters to the west in search
of gull flocks, which we managed to locate from the lighthouse, as they
foraged along the rip current, just inside the Kitsap County line, and
amongst several fishing boats. The gull flocks contained both Mew and up to
200 Bonaparte's Gulls, and the 2 LITTLE GULLS, as noted before, but
observations could have been better, if they were closer to shore. While
scanning the offshore waters we also noted several breeding plumaged
Red-necked Grebes, and 18 Black Brant, and a lone Long-tailed Duck. Other
quality species of note at Hansville during our stay included:

12 MARBLED MURRELETS
1 tan-striped WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
1 Lincoln's Sparrow

Heading south, we checked Gorst Creek(accessed from Hwy.3, at the south end
of Sinclair Inlet),at outgoing tide at 11:45am, where gull and waterfowl
numbers were quite low, but we managed to locate most of the same species,
as in previous recent visits, including:

1 EARED GREBE
1 EURASIAN WIGEON
1 COMMON TEAL
1 COMMON X Am. Green-winged Teal hybrid
2 GREATER YELLOWLEGS
1 first-winter GLAUCOUS GULL

Next, we birded the Port Orchard waterfront, along Beach Drive E(accessed
from Hwy.16, just NE of Gorst), to Manchester, where as in previous
locations good numbers of waterbirds were observed, but the main highlight
was a "rock shorebird" flock that contained: 16 SURFBIRDS, and 26 BLACK
TURNSTONES. We managed to stop at most pull-offs along the main road, where
available, and noted a few other notable finds including:

230 PACIFIC LOONS(all noted in one major flock, possibly gathering for
migration)
6 EARED GREBES
1 EURASIAN WIGEON
5 Harlequin Ducks
2 first-winter THAYER'S GULLS

At Manchester, we noted the same flock of 100 Black Brant, as noted on the
10th, with the addition of our third GREATER YELLOWLEGS of the day, noted at
the south end of Little Clam Bay, just north of town. Our last stop of the
day was made at Mace Lake, where up to 10 WOOD DUCKS, and 5 RUDDY DUCKS were
noted, and both Tree and Violet-green Swallows, as they foraged over the
lake, being all the highlight noted.


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net