A bit of a belated report here. Tuesday I did a Sullivanesque swing through
the southcentral coastal regions of the state, starting at Tokeland and making
my way up to Ocean Shores. The wind was very strong all day, 10-40 mph, with
occasional rain squalls but lots of sun too.

My target was seeing BAR-TAILED GODWIT at Tokeland, and finally I was not
disappointed. There were two Bar-tails, one looking very crisp and sharp in a
plumage matching the "Juvenile" picture in Sibley, and one looking like the
"Adult nonbreeding"; it was either molting or was rather worn.

Other notable birds:

Pacific Loon Westport, 1
Eared Grebe Perkins Lake (Ocean Shores), 2
Brown Pelican Westport->Ocean Shores, several hundred
Great Egret Brady Oyster House, 3
Long-tailed Duck Hoquiam Sewage Lagoon (fresh water!)
Peregrine Falcon Bottle Beach, 1
Black-bellied Plover Bottle Beach, 15
Willet Tokeland, 10
Whimbrel Tokeland, at least 2
Marbled Godwit Tokeland, 300 plus-or-minus
Ruddy Turnstone Tokeland, 1
Black Turnstone Westport, 60
Surfbird Westport, 40
Rock Sandpiper Westport, 2
Pectoral Sandpiper Ocean Shores STP, 2
Long-billed Dowitcher Tokeland, 12
Common Snipe Hoquiam STP
Caspian Tern Tokeland, 16

I could, and almost did, watch the BROWN PELICANS all day. For some reason, I
just love looking at those huge, ponderous fliers.

I was at Bottle Beach with the tide well out (unfortunate). I started to walk
out to the huge flocks of small shorebirds (prob. mostly Dunlin and W.
Sandpiper) far out on the mudflats when the PEREGRINE arrived and spent a full
3 minutes making sure there wasn't a shorebird within 2 miles of me. And the
falcon came up empty.

The huge rolling breakers crashing over the Ocean Shores jetty as the sun
dropped was an awesome sight. The ocean was literally foamy with that
soapsuds-like foam that piles up nearly 3 feet deep on the beach. I think it's
a product of wave action on decaying kelp. It was cool watching balls of foam
blow off of the tops of the breaking waves.

All told, 18 hours, 400+ miles, 70+ species, exhaustion, happiness.

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland WA
== hummer at isomedia.com