Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded several key areas in Grays Harbor and Pacific
Cos. than in past weeks,despite on and off scattered showers throughout the
day, BUT few sunbreaks occured as well. Our main highlight of the day was a
ROSS' GOOSE along Hwy.101 at MP 50.9,west of South Bend in Pacific Co. The
bird was observed between 2:30pm-2:55pm with a large Canada Goose flock
containing mostly "Cackling"Canada Geese, with lesser numbers of
"Dusky"Canada Geese in a large open,thickly vegetated field north of
Hwy.101. The bird at times was difficult to see as it wandered in the
thicker,grassier portion of the field along the dike furthest away from
Hwy.101."Dusky" Canada Geese have seemed to have recently come in as new
arrivals and observed at 4 locations in relatively good numbers. Our
second highlight of the day was the adult male TUFTED DUCK that remains at
the SW corner of the Hoquim STP in Grays Harbor Co., which was well observed
at close range and well photographed between 9:30am-9:55am, unlike the past
two years close to shore and roosting on one of two logs in the extreme SW
corner of the sewage pond. The bird appears much more crisp and cleaner in
plumage than the past two years of observing this presumed same individual.
The bird also shows an obvious full tuft that also appears slightly longer
than the bird we observed last year on the 7th of April,2001. Each year the
bird has been associating itself with both species of scaup, but in a
different location on the sewage pond, with this year being our closest
observation. The scaup flocks seem to fly to and from Grays Harbor
immediately to the south at times, but during our visit the Tufted Duck
never flew off, but scaup flock did come to and from the harbor so if the
bird is not present on the pond the bird could be present offshore in Grays
Harbor.

After birding the Hoquim STP we headed south birding our way to Raymond,
then worked our way home stopping at a few locations in eastern Grays Harbor
Co. A list of our most notable highlights for the day follows:

Brady,Grays Harbor Co.(GH) 8:15am

1 Western Scrub Jay

Brady Loop Rd.,GH 8:20am-9am

32 Tundra Swans
1 Trumpeter Swans
5 "Dusky"Canada Geese
1 Eurasian Wigeon
1 Rough-legged Hawk
3 Western Scrub Jays
1 "Slate-colored"Junco
1 Lincoln's Sparrow
44 Western Meadowlarks

Hoquim STP,GH 9:25am-10am

280+ Black Brant
1 adult male TUFTED DUCK
8 Ruddy Ducks
1 Rough-legged Hawk
35 Least Sandpipers(foraging alone in an empty,partially flooded lot east
side of the sewage pond)
2 Common Snipe
34 Golden-crowned Sparrows(entire flock observed at the extreme NE corner on
the sewage pond)

S.R.105 at Newskah Rd.(MP 46.7),GH 10:30am

2 Greater White-fronted Geese

Johns River Wildlife Area,GH 10:50am-11:25am

1 pair of Canvasback
12 Greater Yellowlegs
1 LESSER YELLOWLEGS
2 Common Snipe
1 Hermit Thrush

Bottle Beach State Park,GH 11;30am-11:45am(incoming tide)

32 Black-bellied Plovers
6 Sanderlings
15 Western sandpipers
210+ Dunlin
1 Lincoln's Sparrow

Tokeland,Pacific Co.(PA) 12:30pm-1:20pm

270+ Black Brant
1 Black-bellied Plover
12 Willets
3 Whimbrel
1 Long-billed Curlew
207 Marbled Godwits
18 Long-billed Dowitchers

S.R.105 at MP 16,PA 1:25pm

65+ "Dusky"Canada Geese
14 "Cackling"Canada Geese
5 Trumpeter Swans

S.R.105 between MP 3 and 4,PA 1:50pm

48 "Dusky"Canada Geese

Raymond,PA 2:15pm

1 adult Peale's Peregrine Falcon

Hwy101 between MP 50 and 51,PA 2:30pm-2:55pm

16 Greater White-fronted Geese
1 ROSS' GOOSE
116 "Cackling"Canada Geese
84 "Dusky"Canada Geese
1 "Aleutian"Canada Goose
1 Hairy Woodpecker

Satsop,GH 4pm

60+ Mourning Doves

Schouweiler Rd. wetland,GH 4:20pm-4:35pm

1 Merlin
2 Virginia Rails
8 Black-bellied Plovers(flying over)
2 Common Snipe
7 Tree Swallows
2 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS
18 Barn Swallows


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net