Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I enjoyed a very rewarding day in the Ocean Shores
vicinity with several notable highlights,and calm weather conditions. Our
day began quite slow,but diversity increased through the day and ended
nicely at one of our last stops along the beach shoreline from Driftwood
Drive at Ocean Shores with continuing roosting/foraging shorebirds. Our
first highlight of the day at our first stop was a first-year FRANKLIN'S
GULL at the Hoquim STP at 10:30am and again noted on a return trip at
6:30pm. The bird was well observed and photographed on the main pond of the
Hoquim STP at fairly close range,as the bird foraged mainly alone with a few
Ring-billed and Glaucous-winged Gulls nearby during our morning visit ,then
the bird was observed closer to shore bordering Airport Way on our evening
visit. Our second and third main highlights of the day in order were a
single juvenile SOLITARY SANDPIPER and two juvenile Red-necked Phalaropes at
the Ocean Shores STP at 3:30pm,with both species photographed and viewed at
very close range among smaller numbers of other shorebirds. Our fourth
highlight of the day was a alternate plumaged PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER,which
was photographed amongst a very large flock of Black-bellied Plovers along
the immediate beach shoreline north of the Driftwood Drive beach access at
4:30pm. This is our second Pacific Golden Plover of the season,with this
bird being in near remaining breeding plumage,but notable fading plumage
noted especially on the black belly that hosted small amounts of white
spotches.

Overall shorebird numbers were still notable at Ocean Shores,but
specifically along the outer beaches north of Driftwood Drive with smaller
numbers noted at other visited locations during the day including Bill's
Spit, and the Ocean Shores Game Range(accessed from Marine View Drive). The
largest numbers per species were Sanderlings with over 5000+ birds noted
from the outer beaches north of Driftwood Drive to Butter Clam Street beach
access followed by Black-bellied Plovers with a large flock of 800+ noted at
slowly outgoing tide at the previous location between 4:15pm-5:35pm. The
Black-bellied Plovers would occasionally break up into smaller flocks as we
observed them and seemed very restless during most of our visit,but the
birds did settle down and roosted along the beach shoreline allowing great
views of one large flock that also included the Pacific Golden Plover among
other shorebird species to be listed below. We enjoyed our visit to Ocean
Shores today,as in all our recent visits to this location and we feel it
still hosts the best diversity and best possibilities for great shorebird
viewing,especially on the outer beaches.

A list of our notable highlights observed follow at selected locations and
times:

Hoquim STP 10:30am-10:45am,6:30pm-6:50pm

2 Northern Shovelers
1 Osprey
2 Semipalmted Plovers
2 Spotted Sandpipers
15 Western Sandpipers
20 Least Sandpipers
5 Long-billed Dowitchers
1 first-year FRANKLIN'S GULL

Ocean Shores Jetty 11:30am-12:30pm

2 Pacific Loons
65+ Sooty Shearwaters
55+ Brown Pelicans
1 Surf Scoter
1 Northern Harrier
2 Wandering Tattlers
14 Ruddy Turnstones
6 Surfbirds
120+ Heermann's Gulls
375+ Common Murres
1 Marbled Murrelet

Bill's Spit 1pm-1:15pm

4 Common Loons
55+ Surf Scoters
12 White-winged Scoters
12 Black-bellied Plovers
3 Semipalmated Plovers
17 Short-billed Dowitchers

Ocean Shores Game Range 1:30pm-3pm(incoming tide)

3 Common Loons
1 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS(found dead on the upper beach)
45+ Brown Pelicans
2 Green-winged Teal
43 Surf Scoters
11 White-winged Scoters
1 RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
3 Northern Harriers
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 adult "Peale's"Peregrine Falcon
4 Snowy Plovers(1 adult,3 immatures)
7 Semipalmated Plovers
2 Black Turnstones
500+ Western Sandpipers
55+ Least Sandpipers
1 Short-billed Dowitcher

Ocean Shores STP 3:30pm-4pm(outgoing tide)

10 Northern Shovelers
1 Northern Harrier
1 SOLITARY SANDPIPER
3 Western Sandpipers
22 Least Sandpipers
2 Red-necked Phalaropes

Driftwood Drive to Marine View Drive beach access(on foot) 4:15pm-5:35pm

1 Common Loon
35+ Sooty Shearwaters
18 Brown Pelicans
800+ Black-bellied Plovers
48+ Semipalmated Plovers
1 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER
1 Wandering Tattler
8 Ruddy Turnstones
1 Surfbird
24 Red Knots
5000+ Sanderlings
110+ Western Sandpipers
82 Short-billed Dowitchers
58+ Heermann's Gulls

Cyber Lake 6pm-6:10pm

17 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Long-billed Dowitcher



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net