Subject: Coastal shorebirding
Date: Jul 6 19:57:38 2002
From: Ruth Sullivan - GODWIT at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I ventured to coastal Pacific and Grays Harbor Cos. in
search of early fall migrant shorebirds,with fairly goods success at most
locations visited before and after high tide. Our main route consisted of
beginning at the Hoquim STP then heading west along S.R.105 to Bottle
Beach,then east to the Johns River Wildlife Area then west and south to
Tokeland and an extensive visit to Midway Beach Rd. and Westport on our way
back to Aberdeen in the late afternoon and a short visit at Mud Bay in
Thurston Co.on our way home. Many areas hosted great crowds of
people,especially due to the 4th of July, good weekend weather, and areas in
association with beach access such as Tokeland,Midway Beach Rd. and
Westhaven State Park in Westport. Despite great crowds at Midway Beach Rd.
in particular we managed to locate 10(5 pair)of adult Snowy Plovers which
all seemed to be unaffected to vast crowds of nearby people,dogs,and vehicle
disturbance in the immediate area. Perhaps these birds did not breed as a
result of recent human disturbance,or the young are hidden away within the
vast dunes. In addition to locating the Snowy Plovers we encountered small
numbers of other shorebird along the upper beach south of Midway Beach
Rd.,where less crowds of people were. Bottle Beach,Tokeland,and vantage
points along Airport Way east of the Hoquim STP hosted the greatest
diversity of shorebirds,but numbers are expected to increase. A list of
notable species observed at selected locations and times follows below:

Hwy.12 at Satsop,Grays Harbor Co.(GH) 8:30am

1 Western Scrub Jay

Hoquim STP/Airport Way,GH 9:05am-9:20am

3 female Green-winged Teal
5 Semipalmated Plovers
9 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Lesser Yellowlegs
32 Western Sandpipers
120+ Least Sandpipers

Bottle Beach State Park/Ocosta Third Street,GH 9:55am-11:35am(incoming
tide/outgoing tide)

1 female Cinnamon Teal
7 Virginia Rails(heard and seen)
1 Sora(heard only)
1 Black-bellied Plover
2 Greater Yellowlegs
48 Whimbrel
1 LONG-BILLED CURLEW
178+ Western Sandpipers
34 Least Sandpipers
98 Short-billed Dowitchers
9 Long-billed Dowitchers
34 Ring-billed Gulls
4 California Gulls
7 Caspian Terns
3 Willow Flycatchers
1 Orange-crowned Warbler

Johns River WA,GH 11:50am-12:20pm

1 female Green-winged Teal
1 Osprey
2 Semipalmated Plovers
62 Western Sandpipers
24 Least Sandpipers

S.R.105 at the Elk River(west of Ocosta),GH 12:28pm

42 Brown Pelicans

S.R.105 at North Cove,Pacific Co.(PA) 12:40pm

40+ Heermann's Gulls

Tokeland,PA 1pm-1:30pm

1 Willet
140+ Marbled Godwits
250+ Western Sandpipers
5 Heermann's Gulls

Midway Beach Rd. 2pm-3pm

1 Pacific Loon
1 Surf Scoter
10(5 pair)of adult Snowy Plovers
8 Semipalmated Plovers
28 Western Sandpipers
17 Least Sandpipers
8 Horned Larks

Westport,GH 3:30pm-4:30pm

42+ Sooty Shearwaters
8 Brown Pelicans
1 Wandering Tattler
2 Black Turnstones
11 Western Sandpipers
2 Marbled Murrelets
70+ Rhinoceros Auklets

Madrona Beach Rd./Mud Bay,Thurston Co.(TH)6pm-6:15pm(outgoing tide)

12 Greater Yellowlegs
18 Least Sandpipers

I-5 at Olympia,TH

1 immature Green Heron(flying over)


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net