Hello Tweets,

Shorebird migration continues at Ocean Shores,as my mother and I spent the
last two days(July 15th-16th)checking ALL the major shorebird fallouts at
Ocean Shores with good remaining numbers of shorebirds,as well as good
birding diversity. Weather continues to be favorable with clearing skies
after morning low clouds/drizzle but remaining afternoon coastal winds. Our
main highlight of the two day excursion was 2 BAR-TAILED GODWITS observed at
two seperate locations within the Ocean Shores area on both days,with the
same adult female we observed and photographed on the 14th at Bill's
Spit,with this individual bird being present and additionally photographed
on the 15th(yesterday)along the beach shoreline accessed from the Driftwood
Street beach access foraging amongst a relatively good sized flock of other
shorebirds at incoming tide between 4:20pm-5:30pm. The bird was well
observed during our entire visit to the location,as we walked the beach in
search of other roosting/foraging shorebirds until we departed and it was
observed flying with the associating shorebird flock to the the north due to
oncoming beachcombers.This bird was very easy to seperate from the nearby
Marbled Godwits,by it's coloration and overall structure and good lighting
conditions,as well. The bird was basically pale brown above(with darker
toned back and scapulars)with very faint buffy barring to the upper and mid
breast area with completely white underparts with noticeable barring to the
outer tail and in flight a white/brown barred angled rump. The white
supercillium and throat were very distinctive in ALL observations,as the
bird foraged loosely with the other shorebirds allowing close appraoch at
times witin 20-25 feet,but the bird often continued further ahead of us
amongst the other shorebirds and allowed us to view the noticeably shorter
legs compared to the nearby Marbled Godwits.

On the 16th we located and observed another much different BAR-TAILED GODWIT
in still partial breeding plumage(presumably a female going by the length of
the bill compared to other neaby Marbled Godwits it was foraging at Damon
Point). The bird was much brighter overall and not as easy to seperate at
times amongst the other Marbled Godwits during our visit to Damon Point
during incoming tide between 12pm-12:30pm. The bird showed a distinctive
white supercillium,pale face,white throat,rufous/rust scaupulars(within the
well patterned back,with paler coverts),white underaparts that extended up
to the distinctive pale rust/chestnut "blotches" on the upper and mid
breast.giving the bird a noticeable and distinctive pattern,when viwed from
the front.The bird also showed noticeable pale rust barring along the
flanks,extending with darker barring to the tail. The bird was not initially
located as we scanned through the flock of 121 Marbled Godwits just east of
the Damon Point parking lot along the south shore bordering North Bay, but
as the flock spread out along the shoreline as they all foraged with other
nearby shorebirds the bird could easily be seperated at fairly close scoping
range with the major field marks noted. At 12:30pm the Bar-tailed Godwit was
flushed by an adult Peale's Peregrine Falcon along with ALL the other
foraging shorebird,then the flock flew to the north were one of the Marbled
Godwits was put down by the Peregrine Falcon into North Bay
approxiametely100 yards from the Damon Point,where it was observed swimming
at times,but we were unsure if the bird was injured by the Peregrine Falcon
or was just startled and attempted to retreat from the actual disturbance
and situation,in which it seemed the Peregrine did not catch any shorebird
during this observation.. The entire flock formed four smaller flocks and
dispersed in different directions after being flushed,but never returned to
Damon Point during our continued visit until 1:30pm. We did not relocate the
previously observed Bar-tailed Godwit despite extensive searching of the
many Marbled Godwit and other shorebird flocks at Ocean Shores,but it may
still remain.

Our second highlight was a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER observed and heard calling over
the Damon Point "pond" on the 16th,being our first of the season and the
year.

In general shorebird numbers still continued to be notable with most
locations visited producing relatively good numbers of shorebirds,with the
best location continuing to be along the beach between Butter Clam St. beach
access and Driftwood Street beach access. This location seemed to be best at
incoming tide,but visits during outgoing tide also produced good numbers of
foraging and roosting shorebirds and the area hosted the greatest diversity
of shorebirds compared to all other areas in the Ocean Shores region. Our
routes during the two days consisted of 1 or more visits to the main
shorebird fallouts, as well as other key birding locations at Ocean Shores
both days with a visit to Hoquim STP and Bottle Beach State Park on the
16th. A list of our main highlights follows at selected locations for July
15th and 16th:

Red-throated Loon
1 at the Ocean Shores Game Range on the 15th

Pacific Loon
4 over the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 16th

Sooty Shearwater
2 off the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 16th

Brown Pelican
good numbers remaining at most locations

BLACK BRANT(rare in summer)
1 at the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 16th

Cinnamon Teal
3 at the Hoquim STP on the 16th

Northern Shoveler
1 female with 9 young at the Ocean Shores STP both days

Greater Scaup
1 pair at the Hoquim STP on the 16th

Surf Scoter
20+ off Bill's Spit in North Bay on the 15th
7 off Marine View Drive beach access on the 15th
14 off the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 16th

White-winged Scoter
45+ off Bill's Spit in North Bay on the 15th
8 off Marine View Drive beach access on the 15th
1 off the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 16th

Osprey
1 over the Hoquim STP on the 16th

Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 along Greenview Way(north of the Sportmans Way at Ocean Shores)on the 15th

Cooper's Hawk
1 adult over Bottle Beach State Park on the 16th

Peregrine Falcon
1 adult Peale's subspecies at Damon Point on the 16th

Ring-necked Pheasant
1 along Sportsman Way at Ocean Shores on the 16th
2 at the Driftwood Street beach access on the 16th

Black-bellied Plover
8 at Bill's Spit on the 15th
43 at the Driftwood Street beach access on the 15th
132 at the Marine View Drive beach access
1 at Damon Point on the 16th
8 at Bottle Beach State Park on the 16th

Snowy Plover
1 adult male at the base of Damon Point on the 16th

Semipalmated Plover
4 at Bill's Spit on the 15th
14 at the Driftwood Street beach access on the 15th
57 at the Marine View Drive beach access on the 15th
3 at Damon Point on the 16th
14 at Bottle Beach S.P. on the 16th

Greater Yellowlegs
24 at Cyber Lake on the 16th
1 over Damon Point on the 16th
3 at Bottle Beach S.P. on the 16th

Wandering Tattler
3 at the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 16th

Whimbrel
78 at Bill's Spit on the 15th
2 at the Driftwood Street beach access on the 15th
3 at Damon Point on the 15th
63 at Bill's Spit on the 16th
23 at Damon Point on the 16th

BAR-TAILED GODWIT
1 adult female at the Driftwood Street beach access on the 15th
1 adult female in alternate plumage at Damon Point on the 16th

Marbled Godwit
72 at the Driftwood Street beach access on the 15th
92 at Bill's Spit on the 16th
121 at Damon Point on the 16th

Ruddy Turnstone
8 at the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 16th

Black Turnstone
1 at the Ocean Shores Jetty

Surfbird
2 at the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 16th

Red Knot
23 at the Driftwood St. beach access on the 15th
5 at Damon Point on the 16th

Sanderling
121 at the Driftwood St. beach access on the 15th,with 145+ there on the
16th

Western Sandpiper
*very notable at most locations*,with our biggest flocks being 1,200 at the
Driftwood St./Marine View Drive beach access with 5,000+ there on the 16th
and 550+ roosting at the Ocean Shores STP on the evening of the 15th. One
double banded adult observed at the Driftwood St.beach access.

Least Sandpiper(very low numbers)
7 at Damon Point on the 15th,with 17 there on the 16th
14 along Airport Way,east of the Hoquim STP on the 16th

BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
1 over the Damon Point "pond" on the 16th

Short-billed Dowitcher
375+ at Driftwood St./Marine View Drive beach access on the 15th
45 at the Ocean Shores STP on the 15th,with 18 there on the 16th
290+ at Bill's Spit on the 15th
205 at Damon Point on the 16th
16 at Bottle Beach S.P. on the 16th

Parasitic Jaeger
3 chasing and pursuing 4 Caspian Terns at Bill's Spit on the 16th

Heermann's Gull
good remaining numbers at most locations

California Gull
good remaining numbers at several locations

Marbled Murrelet
2 off the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 16th

Rhino.Auklet
550+ off the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 16th

Tufted Puffin
2 off the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 16th

Belted Kingfisher(unusual location)
1 male on the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 16th

Olive-sided Flycatcher
1 pair at Cyber Lake on the 16th

Horned Lark
3 at Damon Point on the 15th,with 5 there on the 16th


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net