----- Original Message -----
From: Ruth Sullivan
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 9:31 PM
Subject: Sequim-Dungeness CBC


Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I enjoyed a fairly good day participating on the Sequim-Dungeness CBC,specifically in the Dungeness-Three Crabs area. The weather overall was much more favorable throughout the day compared to the severe weather we encountered on the Grays Harbor CBC on the 14th with only scattered rain showers at times,although winds were quite cold and stiff at times,especially after 1pm. We encountered a total of 91 species in our area of the preliminary total of 142 species,as we joined Bob Boekelheide. We began the day on route to Sequim with a fairly quick check along Diamond Point Rd. with calling LONG-EARED OWL that was briefly observed south of the Diamond Point Airport along with a nearby calling Western Screech Owl between 6:45am-7:15am. WE met Bob at the Olympic Game Farm at 8am and continued on our route for the day around the general Dungeness-Three Crabs area with our best highlight of the day being a female YELLOW WARBLER found alone south of Three Crabs along a vegetated canal,which may possibly overwinter at that location. Another highlight of the day was small numbers of Red Phalaropes observed off of Three Crabs with good numbers noted by other parties that had access to open water, including 350+ off Dungeness Spit. Several other notable species were noted from the general Three Crabs/Dungeness Oyster House area including:

9 Eurasian Wigeon
good numbers of Long-tailed Ducks
1 Cooper's Hawk
3 Peregrine Falcons
4 Virginia Rails(heard only)
6 Black-bellied Plovers
1 Ring-billed Gull
8 California Gulls
1 Herring Gull
4-5 Thayer's Gulls
1 Marbled Murrelet
2 Ancient Murrelets
1 immature Northern Shrike
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 Brown-headed Cowbird

Other highlights of the day included good numbers of Pine Siskins near the Olympic Game Farm with several large flocks observed along the Dungeness River, a single first-year Bonaparte's Gull and 1 first-year Thayer's Gull at the Olympic Game Farm,and14 Western Meadowlarks near Dungeness. Several other key highlights were noted from other active birders whom may report their sightings.


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net