Subject: WOS Field trip to Ocean Shores and vicinity
Date: May 5 22:23:42 2001
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I led a field trip for the Washington Ornithological
Society to Grays Harbor Co., covering the Ocean Shores area, and nearby
vicinity locations, with a total of 6 total participants, as we carpooled in
two vehicles. We encountered fairly great weather during most of the day,
with partly to mostly sunny skies, despite a few morning rain showers, and
constant moderate wind throughout the day, but we still managed to observe a
total of 126 species for the day, and 230 miles of driving, as we visited
most of the good birding locations along our route consisting of the Brady
Loop Rd. complex, Hoquim Sewage Treatment Plant, and the general Oceans
Shores area. Good numbers of shorebirds were observed at most locations,
starting at the Hoquim STP, then continuing throughout Ocean Shores. The
main highlight of the day was at the end of our trip, where we located 3
SANDHILL CRANES in a grassy field along Brady Loop Rd., found and located by
Dave Hayden, as we checked this location twice during the day, for
additional species, and scouting purposes. In addition, we had additional
notable species at several of the main birding locations, despite the
constant wind.

We started out along Foster Rd. at 7:15am, and continued along the west
portion of Brady Loop Rd., as we checked many of the open fields, and
exposed wetlands, where a short drive produced the following highlights:

18 WHIMBREL
2 Black-bellied Plovers
60 Least Sandpipers

At the Hoquim S.T.P., we scoped the pond, and fields at the east end of the
airport, where we managed to get fairly good numbers of waterfowl, and other
species including:

both scaups
6 Ruddy Ducks
3 male Cinnamon Teal
2 BONAPARTE'S GULLS
30 Vaux's Swifts
7+ Northern Rough-winged Swallows

Next, we took a short walk through Ocean City S.P., just north of Ocean
Shores, where a good several songbirds species were heard and seen including
8 Black-throated Gray Warblers, and 12 Orange-crowned Warblers, in addition
to a AM.BITTERN that was flushed out of the marshy wetland within the park.
Just south of the park boundaries, we took another short walk, this time
again for more songbirds along a trail in from Hwy.115, where notable
species included:

3 pair of Wood Ducks
2 Pacific-slope Flycatchers
1 Varied Thrush
1 Hutton's Vireo
1 singing Townsend's Warbler
1 MacGillivray's Warbler

At 10am, we arrived at Ocean Shores, where our first stop was made at the
Ocean Shores Golf Course, where we were able to locate the following
highlights that included:

110 GREATER-WHITE FRONTED GEESE(with only one grounded bird, as the
remaining birds were flyovers.)
1 female Taiga MERLIN
1 Marbled Godwit


Next, along Marine View Drive, just west of Damon Point, along the east
section of the Ocean Shores Game Range, we found our first diverse flock of
shorebirds at approaching high tide, that contained the following:

10 Greater Yellowlegs
4 Whimbrel
34 Western Sandpipers
7 Least Sandpipers
78 Dunlin
28 Short-billed Dowitchers

At the Ocean Shores Jetty, we were fortunate to have the sun to our backs
for good viewing, but winds were still very persistant, but most of us were
able to locate the most notable highlights that included:

1 SOOTY SHEARWATER
25 Black Brant
1 WANDERING TATTLER
3 Ruddy Turnstones
17 Black Turnstones
6 SURFBIRDS
1 ROCK SANDPIPER
23 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES
1 first-year THAYER'S GULL
3 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES
6 MARBLED MURRELETS

Next, we checked the Ocean Shores S.T.P., where a flock of 11 LONG-BILLED
DOWITCHERS were tallied, later joined by 7 more for a total of 18 birds,
among 12 Least Sandpipers, and 2 Dunlin. A quick walk behind the sewage
ponds at high tide provided a fairly good looks at several gull species, as
they roosted on an exposed sand spit, a flock of 20 offshore Black Brant,
including a single BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, then a nearby shorebird flock
that contained:

22 Semipalmated Plovers
8 Sanderlings
2 Western Sandpipers

At Bill's Spit at outgoing tide, where we ran into several birders, where an
extensive study and count of the shorebirds, and associating gull flocks
consisted of the following numbers of notable species:

18 Semipalmated Plovers
5 Whimbrel
37 Marbled Godwits
2 Black Turnstones
36 RED KNOTS
735 Western Sanpipers
6 Least Sandpipers
158 Dunlin
78 Short-billed Dowitchers
7 gull species, including 1 second-winter HERRING GULL, and 38 BONAPARTE'S
GULLS
8 Caspian Terns

We later walked to the Damon Point "pond", where birding was fairy slow, as
far as adding any additional species, but good numbers of offshore waterfowl
north of Damon Point were noted, in addition to watching a immature
PEREGRINE FALCON harassing a large flock of "peeps", at the pond, then later
scattered the entire fllock to the north, leaving only a few shorebirds to
remain along the edges of the pond, as we walked it, with a total of 28
Semipalmated Plovers noted a two locations on Damon Point, 60 GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 8 Black Brant, and a pair of Horned Larks on breeding
grounds, with greats looks at one bird.

Next, our final walk of the day was made at the east portion of the Ocean
Shores Game Range, just west of the base of Damon Point, where the best
highlight was 8 Ruddy Turnstones, and 2 Black Turnstones, in addition to
more of the same shorebird species mentioned previously.

At the close of our birding day, before heading back to Brady Loop Rd., we
checked a few birding location that we have noted in past visits, as we
added a few additional species in the Ocean Shores area, including an adult
Cooper's Hawk, and 2 pair of Bushtits.

At Montesano, our only Am.Kestrel of the day was noted, along Hwy.12, and a
single Osprey on it's annual nestsite along Hwy.12 was observed, being 1 of
2 birds for the day.

At the Brady Loop Rd., we mainly scoped the extensive wetland at the west
portion of the loop, with more time spent than the morning visit, mainly
watching the 3 SANDHILL CRANES,(being rather late for the season, reminding
us of the lone injured bird that we relocated on "our" Birdathon last year
on the 20th of May, that was originally present along Brady Loop Rd., but at
a different location)in an unplowed field, after Dave Hayden found them
foraging, then we quickly scoped them out, along with other species that
included:

1 AM.BITTERN
6 Wood Ducks
1 Cooper's Hawk
4 Virginia Rails
2 Soras
1 Greater Yellowlegs
5 Whimbrels
7 Least Sandpipers
3 Long-billed Dowitchers

This field trip was fairly rewarding throughout the day at most locations,
with the most diversity at the Ocean Shores Jetty, and Bill's Spit, in
addition with the latter sight offering the best looks at most shorebirds,
including the Red Knots(being our only location for this species of the day)
and gulls, considering the tidal conditions, but our best bird of the day,
being the 3 Sandhill Cranes came at the end of our trip, making that
sighting special and very worthwhile, despite not being an extreme rarity,
but it is a good county bird, and a notable seasonal date for the region.

Other non-birding notable observations included:(dragonflies)

2 CALIFORNIA DARNERS at two locations, with 1 at the base of Damon Point,
and the other along Fairwood Drive, east of Ocean Shores, being both found
in the afternoon, as it warmed up.

Also, good numbers of Harbor Seals observed at several locations within
Grays Harbor.


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net