Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I scouted our route/area for the Grays Harbor CBC at Bowerman Basin,mainly to search the area over with an entire length walk along the west side of the Bowerman Airport and a walk along the Sandpiper Trail boardwalk at the Grays Harbor NWR. We also checked the neighboring Hoquiam STP,as we encountered great birding conditions with minor wind at times along the immediate water during our visit between 11:30am-3:30pm. Our main highlight was 3 Snow Geese(1 adult,2 immatures)at the extreme north end of the Bowerman Airport foraging loosely amongst a flock of Canada Geese that contained 10 "Dusky"Canada Geese. The birds remained during our walk along the Sandpiper Trail later in the afternoon foraging in portions of the open,grassy fields at the north end of the Bowerman Airport with Canada Geese. In addition to encountering very good numbers of Canada Geese of at least 3 subspecies we observed an adult BEAN GOOSE(of unknown origin)at the north end of the Bowerman Airport amongst a flock of 6 Canada Geese,where the bird was very wary of our presence at times and flew once,but was again relocated and observed from the north end of the Sandpiper Trail closest to the open fields on the Bowerman Airport. The overall size and structure of the bird was as the nearby dominant race of Canada Geese in association,but the structure seemed more bulky and fairly large headed contrasting to a more slender neck with a fairly long,fairly sharply angled dark bill with a yellow-orange banded tip,being possibly of the middendorffi race/subspecies. Legs and feet were orange similiar to Greater White-fronted Goose. The overall color of the bird was rather plain brown,being darkest on the upperparts and palest below with white undertail coverts. We know of only one other published unconfirmed record for WA at this same location on the 26th of April,1993.

Other notable species that were encountered during our visit to the Hoquiam STP and the general Bowerman Basin area included:

2 Common loons
6 Western Grebes
87 "Cackling"Canada Geese
1 pair of Eurasian Wigeon
8 Canvasback
7 Common Goldeneyes
12 Hooded Mergansers
1 Ruddy Duck
1 adult Bald Eagle
3 Northern Harriers
1 Red-tailed Hawk
2 adult Peregrine Falcons
2 female Ring-necked Pheasants
1 Virginia Rail(heard only)
1 Am.Coot
125+ Black-bellied Plovers
26 Least Sandpipers
1 Wilson's Snipe
1 Northern Flicker intergrade(Yellow-shafted/Red-shafted Flicker)
6 Lincoln's Sparrows


On our way home my mother and I checked a few locations in the Elma-Brady area beginning with a brief check along Brady Loop Rd. at 4pm and located a few additional species for the day including:

9 Trumpeter Swans
45 Tundra Swans
2 Mourning Doves
65+ Am.Pipits

At Vanace Creek Co.Park at 4:30pm the lingering female REDHEAD was again observed along with a single Western Grebe and immediately west of Vance Creek Co.Park along Wenzel Slough Rd. the following species were noted:

1 Common Loon
8 Trumpeter Swans
6 Tundra Swans
2 first-year Thayer's Gulls


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net





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