Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded Grays Harbor and Pacific Cos., despite moderate
to heavy rain showers at times, but improving conditions after 11am, with
mostly cloudy to partly sunny skies, but constant wind was apparent
throughout the day, heaviest near the water. We encountered a total of 102
species for the entire day, as we ran into several birders in the field,
including Dave Hayden, who birded with us for 6 hours at several coastal
locations. The main highlight was the ROSS' GOOSE at Ocosta in Grays Harbor
Co., visible from the north side of S.R.105, just east of MP 35 and Bottle
Beach entrance, as it foraged with mixed races of Canada Geese, including 5
"Dusky" Canada Geese, and 10 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE that occured nearby
in the same field. The Ross's Goose was present at 10:30am, then again at
3:15pm, as we observed the bird, along with Marv Breece.

Our first stop of the day was made at Vance Creek County Park, near Elma at
7:15am, where a single OSPREY was noted at a nestsite,, and a pair of WOOD
DUCKS, then at the Schouweiler Rd. wetland, just west of Elma, we walked the
trail seperating the two extensive portions of the wetland, where the
following highlights were noted, despite constant rain at times:

2 AM.BITTERNS
1 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
12 calling VIRGINIA RAILS
8 Common Snipes
165+ Tree Swallows
78+ Violet-green Swallows
6 NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS
3 CLIFF SWALOWS
1 BARN SWALLOW
13 Yellow-rumped "Myrtle" Warblers
1 COMMON YELLOWTHROAT

Mammals: 1 River Otter

At 8:30am we birded Brady Loop Rd., including Foster Rd., where conditions
still persisted with moderate showers, and persistant winds, as the only
highlights at this location included:

22 TUNDRA SWANS
3 TRUMPETER SWANS
1 Hutton's Vireo
2 Orange-crowned Warblers
4 Savannah Sparrows

Our second and last OSPREY of the day was noted at Montesano along Hwy.12,
sitting at it's annual nestsite, as we continued west.

At 10:15am, we were at Ocosta, along S.R 105, where my mother had located
the Ross' Goose, where we watched the bird for about 20 minutes, until Dave
Hayden arrived, and continued to bird with us, until 4:30pm. The goose was
seen at two different locations when we noted the bird during two visits, as
it wanders around foraging, and can sometimes be missed or unseen, as it
often forages on more concealed canal edges that are not visible from the
road, so some effort is encouraged and involved, eventhough the bird is
nearly snow white, except for the black primaries, from a distance.

At 11:15am, we walked the beach shoreline at low tide, south of Midway Beach
Rd. in Pacific County, as the weather began to improve, with NO major rain
fall, but still persistant oncoming winds. Good numbers of shorebirds were
almost immediately noted soon after walking due south of the beach entrance,
with minimal hiking involved, where the following highlights and numbers
were observed:

21 SNOWY PLOVERS
38 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS
27 Sanderlings
18 WESTERN SANDPIPERS
29 LEAST SANDPIPERS
7 Dunlin
1 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE
5 Horned Larks

At 12:45pm we were at Tokeland, at incoming tide, but major shoreline still
persisted, as we checked most of the key location spots in town, with the
most notable highlights including:

3 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE
370+ "Dusky" Canada Geese
75 Black Brant
3 TURKEY VULTURES
9 GREATER YELLOWLEGS
13 WILLETS
2 WHIMBRELS
260 MARBLED GODWITS
14 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS
1 Hairy Woodpecker
3 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS
1 Orange-crowned Warbler

Mammals: 1 COYOTE

At M.P.16, along the north side of S.R.105, at the mouth of the Cedar River,
east of Tokeland, a single GR.WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, 2 Greater Yellowlegs,
and 1 TURKEY VULTURE were among the highlights, just before we headed back
to Bottle Beach at 2:45pm. Upon arriving at Ocosta at 3:10pm, we met with
Marv Breece, who had been watching the Ross' Goose, as mentioned before, so
we waited a few minutes until it made an appearance again, after it revealed
itself, after coming from behind large clumps of grass, and into full view,
at times. Marv later headed towards Tokeland, and Dave joined us, as we
birded Bottle Beach at incoming tide, where winds continued to blow heavily,
but we managed to locate 6 species of shorebirds, and other notable species
including:

310+ Black Brant
1 female Taiga Merlin
72 Black-bellied Plovers
1 Black Turnstone
38 Sanderlings
62 WESTERN SANDPIPERS
2,800+ Dunlin
6 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS
2 Lincoln's Sparrows

On our way home, my mother and I rechecked Brady Loop Rd.,(as we noted a
kettle of 12 TURKEY VULTURES at Montesano along Hwy.12), despite lighting
conditions due to nearby dark clouds, combined with the quickly setting
sunset. Few species were actually noted, except for the earlier noted swans,
and at least 3 CLIFF SWALLOWS, but additionally we were able to locate the 2
SNOW GEESE along Foster Rd., as they were foraged with larger races of
Canada Geese in a plowed, muddy field, as they were previously noted last
weekend, but a different location, being at the Brady Loop Rd. "ponds".

Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net