Subject: Birders Guide to Coastal Washington
Date: Oct 6 09:02:38 2001
From: Andy Stepniewski - steppie at nwinfo.net


Tweeters,

The following review on the new book "A Birder's Guide to Coastal
Washington" by Bob Morse will appear (I think!) in some form in the upcoming
WOS News. For those of you who are not members of the Washington
Ornithological Society, I'm posting to Tweeters this review, so you can be
aware of this excellent resource for birders contemplating a trip to coastal
Washington.

Book Review: A Birder's Guide to Coastal Washington. By Bob Morse. Published
by the R.W. Morse Company, Olympia, WA. 2001. About 270 pages.

Birders welcome and will be well-served by a new book A Birder's Guide to
Coastal Washington by Bob Morse. This book deals exclusively with birding
sites along Washington's coast. For the past 30 years, the birding community
has relied on Wahl and Paulson's A Guide to Birdfinding in Washington to
find and learn of Washington's great coastal birding sites. Bob's book
updates this classic.

Birders flock to the Washington's varied and dramatic coast for a variety of
reasons. Some come for pelagic birding opportunities. Deep waters off
Westport offer some of the premier pelagic birding sites in North America.
Black-footed and Laysan Albatrosses, a variety of shearwaters, including the
stunning Buller's, and countless Sooties, perhaps a South Polar Skua or two,
undoubtedly a number of jaegers, alcids, phalaropes, and numerous other
species seldom seen from land make a pelagic trip off Westport a destination
trip for birders from afar. Shorebirding is another draw. Ocean Shores,
Bowerman Basin, Tokeland, or Leadbetter Point are all famous as wader sites.
At these sites, an exciting assemblage of migrant shorebirds collects every
spring and fall, including sought-after species such as
Pacific-Golden-Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Rock Sandpiper, and Sharp-tailed
Sandpiper. Bowerman Basin annually hosts a substantial portion of the worlds
Western Sandpipers and Short-billed Dowitchers each spring. Large coastal
embayments such as Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay, with their flotillas of
migrant and wintering loons, grebes, bay ducks, gulls and terns, and clouds
of wheeling Dunlin, are yet another attraction, as are marauding Peregrines
and Merlins. There's still more! The rugged and spectacular North Coast,
with its numerous sea stacks, hosts thousands of nesting seabirds such as
Fork-tailed and Leach's Storm-Petrels, Cassin's Auklet, Rhinoceros Auklet,
and Common Murres. On the rocks are piping Black Oystercatchers, and
numerous "rockpipers." Nearby are the finest temperate rain forests on the
planet in Olympic National Park, surely one of the world's most impressive
conifer forests. On moss-draped limbs in these towering trees, the
threatened Marbled Murrelet nests, a peculiar nest site for an Alcid.

This is the Washington coast. It is no wonder this region receives
international acclaim. Washington residents sometimes forget that in our
midst are birding destinations advertised all over the world. Bob's book
leads us to all the best sites along the Washington coast to watch birds in
the many bird-rich habitats.

The book contains six major sections, beginning with "An Introduction to
Coastal Washington," which characterizes the two very distinct regions of
the coast: the North Coast - rocky and very rugged, and the altogether
different South Coast, where low hills, for the most part, meet wide, sandy
beaches, and large estuarine bays.

"How to Use this Guide" follows. This part guides the reader to make it easy
to find information and navigate through the book. In particular, this
section identifies the "Specialties", those species the birder may be most
anxious to see. Supplemental information such as a mileage chart, and how to
report rare birds is found here, also.

"Geography and Climate" is the third section. This describes the
distinctive geography and climate of the Washington coast.

The fourth section is titled "Coastal Habitats." Bob has wisely chosen to
follow Wahl and Paulson's habitat categories. Color photos depict each of
the nine major coastal habitats, a wonderful aid in conveying to the reader
the beautiful nature of the Washington coast.

"Coastal Birding Areas," the major part of the book, is divided in two
subsections: the North Cast, and the South Coast. Birding locations begin on
the North Coast at Clallam Bay, actually on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The
South Coast ends approximately 30 miles inland along the Columbia River at
Puget Island, the approximate inland influence of the tides. Directions and
mileages to each site are given. Each site is described, and interesting
species listed. Excellent maps, in the American Birding Association style,
accompany each site. A color photograph, a very nice touch, also accompanies
many site descriptions. Indeed, these images show off the beauty of the
Washington coast; substantially enhancing the value of this book, and
allowing the reader to vicariously visit coastal Washington. After all, don'
t all birders pour through site guides in preparation of a visit? With these
nice photos, we now are much better prepared before our visit.

Washington's well-known coastal birding sites such as Ocean Shores, Westport
(and Westport pelagics), Tokeland, Willapa Bay, Leadbetter Point, and the
North Jetty of the Columbia River, all receive comprehensive treatment. Bob
has included a number of new areas to give the seasoned birder a great
excuse to visit the coast again: Willoughby Ridge above the Hoh River,
Quinault Ridge Road, Campbell Tree Grove, Moclips to Ocean City, Lake Swano,
Monte Brady Loop Road, the Wenzel Slough area, Wynoochee Valley, Johns
River, and Julia Butler Hansen NWR are all enticing "new" sites.

Appendices follow, including a "Checklist of Coastal Washington Birds,"
which includes status symbols for the four seasons. A major appendix
"Washington Coastal Specialties" follows. This very useful section targets
82 species visiting birders often wish to see. Most are illustrated by a
color photograph. A short summary of the seasonal status and whereabouts of
each is also given. More detailed information is given for a few species.
Canada Geese, which has a number of identifiable forms, is given greater
coverage, as is Marbled Murrelet.

An appendix on "Coastal Birding Organizations,"with addresses and phone
numbers (for some) is a useful section, as is a list of the four Christmas
Bird Counts, with names and phone numbers of current compilers. Short
sections with information on Forest Passes, Washington State Department of
Fish and Wildlife decals, weather, tides, maps, and "Other Contacts" are
also useful.

Finally, a very detailed appendix lists most motels, bed and breakfasts, RV
parks, and campgrounds. Though some of this information is bound too be
out-of-date shortly, this section will certainly aid the visiting birder.

This appealing and information-packed guide is certainly a most useful aid
to any birder contemplating a trip to the fabulous Washington coast.

Andy Stepniewski
Steppie at nwinfo.net