Greetings all,

Today Steven G. (I need to see a Pterodroma on the west coast) Mlodinow and
myself birded Pacific County this morning and afternoon from 6:30AM-4:30PM.
Now I'm sure the subject line of this e-mail caught your attention, but I'll
save the best part for last. If you really can't wait to see what all the
fuss was about, just scroll down.

Anywho, we started the morning off at 6:30AM at Fort Canby State Park, with
great weather, sunny and not much wind. Highlights from the lighthouse,
scanning the ocean were a raft of WESTERN GREBES, a few MEW GULLS, PACIFIC
LOONS moving north and a scattering of RED-THROATED & COMMON LOONS.
In the forest and riparian areas of Fort Canby, we had
20 WILSON'S WARBLERS
40 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS
6 BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS
10 PURPLE FINCH
1 BROWN CREEPER
1 WARBLING VIREO

We drove the beach for a ways up to Leadbetter and including the total of
birds at Leadbetter -
2500 SANDERLING

We had a very good shorebird concentration on the bay side if Leadbetter
Point, mostly SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS among other peeps. Interesting views
of behavior including flight displays of DUNLIN and laughing calls of
SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS.

Total birds on both the beach side and Bay side of Leadbetter Point:
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER - 150
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER - 500
SNOWY PLOVER - 4
LEAST SANDPIPER - 100
WESTERN SANDPIPER - 60,000
DUNLIN - 15,000
RED KNOT - 125
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER - 10,000+
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER - 2
MARBLED GODWIT - 1
HERRING GULL - 4
CALIFORNIA GULL - 4
BRANT - 150

OK, now for the interesting part.

As Steve and I walk south on the beach side of Leadbetter, aproximately 2:00
I do believe, we hear a strange shorebird call that we had not heard all
day. a soft three not call, di-di-di and see a Curlew flying at us, with
the light to our backs, which was perfect. Steve calls out THATS A LITTLE
CURLEW! and indeed it was.
Very small curlew, smaller than a whimbrel, shortish bill with a slight
droop at the tip. The plumage was barred on the uppertail coverts, and the
bird had a "warm" golden-brown tone to it. Two toned underwings were noted,
as it was flying away. The look was short, but good, and the bird called at
least 4 times. The bird never landed, we watched it continually flying
north, until out of sight. But what an afternoon, though I have to say I'm
still in shock of it.

Cheers and Good Birding
Ryan Shaw
Lacey Washington
rtshaw80 at home.com