Hello Gerald,
We was planning an overnight trip to Leadbetter last weekend,and changed our
mind do to the bad weather on Sunday.All July the masses of Shorebirds been
great.The BEST month ever in July at any year.We met some birder from
Astoria and he mention that the birds been slow in Leadbetter so there must
be all in Ocean Shores ,there also non in Tokland.

Ruth Sullivan
Tacoma
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerald Hamilton" <gerald at e-z.net>
To: "Wash. Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, August 05, 2002 6:55 PM
Subject: ....................On Willapa Bay


> .................Mid-day last Friday: Absolutely *nothing* at
> 'shorebird flats'---Parking lot C at Columbia River South
> Jetty.(....very little water!!!). Oh, I shouldn't say "nothing" as there
> *was* 1 large Great Blue Heron there, and.....zillions of Caspian Terns
> at the river beach. Lots of CORMORANTS (mainly juveniles) in the ocean
> off the viewing platform, and....plenty of BROWN PELICANS flying
> overhead. A pair of SPOTTED TOWHEES flew around and a few female House
> Finches also.
> ................Billions of seagulls(several species) and Caspian Terns
> at the slough area by the viewing bunker---but again *nothing* else!!!!
> Moderately low tide at the time.
> ................Saturday: Tide going out at mid-day at Leadbetter
> Point---Willapa Bay---Long Beach Pen., Wash. Lots and lots SEMIPALMATED
> PLOVERS, along with WESTERN SANDPIPERS and a fair number of LEAST
> SANDPIPERS. But again not anywhere the numbers of shorebirds I expected
> to find at this time of year.
> ................Later that afternoon: North of Oysterville Rd. along the
> ocean beach. Again *nothing* till I got several miles north(past the
> clam shell restriction poles) where there were 50-70 SANDERLINGS ( many
> still in much of there colorful breeding plumage), and 2 SNOWY PLOVERS
> , and a mature BALD EAGLE pirched on a log---in the same area. Talked
> with a Wash. State Wildlife officer who was doing something at the clam
> pole area, and he said that he had just come from an assignment on the
> north coast, and the story is the same there: unusually low numbers of
> migrating shorebirds being observed right now. Don't know the reasons,
> other that the unusually hot weather might being keeping them up north
> longer.
> ...............Sunday: A walk on the beach near the motel. Again lots
> of Gulls and Caspian Terns, with 5 HEERMAN'S GULLS together among the
> pack ( lacking the snowy white head, but mostly brown with a somewhat
> duller red bill---would have to guess they were 2nd or 3rd yr. juveniles).
> A few SEMI-PALMATED PLOVERS, with some BROWN pELICANS; cormorants,
> and..........long seemingly endless lines of smaller black seabirds
> flying south low over the water just of the beach( ....some sort of
> SHEARWATERS???).
> ..............The Pacific Golden Plover seen last week wasn't at Willapa
> Bay----this species(including the Am. Golden Plover) continues to allude
me.
>
> ..............Oh well!!!! Cheers.
>
> Gerald Hamilton
> Brush Prairie, Wash.
>
>