Subject: Hudsonian Godwit(s) at Bottle Beach
Date: May 13 18:19:25 2002
From: Buteoreg at aol.com - Buteoreg at aol.com


Hi Tweets,

Sorry for the delay on posting this. There was one, possibly two, Hudsonian Godwits at Bottle Beach, east of Westport, WA on Sunday afternoon.

I was leading a shorebird ID class trip to Tokeland and Bottle Beach, and we found out about the Godwits when we got to Bottle Beach around 3:30. Two birders there told us they had been watching two Hudsonian Godwits for about an hour and a half, but one had flown towards Westport before we arrived. We did not see them in flight, but we did observe the remaining bird for about 45 minutes and most of us saw it as it stretched its wings over its back, so that we were able to see the dark wing linings. This bird was apparently a female, or a late molting male as it was not very dark red underneath, with only moderate, dark barring. Although it never flew I could occasionally glimpse a little of the white rump and the white tip of the tail.

This bird doesn't stand out like a sore thumb as a full breeding-plumaged male would. I'm not sure what plumage the other bird is in, so you should look at any and every godwit in the area if you go looking for them.

Across the street on Ocosta Third Street there were Least and Western Sandpipers, a Dunlin, several Semi Plovers, LB Dows, a Pectoral Sandpiper and a Sora in the wet, marshy field on the right side of the road, close to the highway.

Tokeland was birdy both Saturday and Sunday. There were about 100 Marbled Godwits, both dowitchers, 20-30 Whimbrels, peeps and a few Semi and BB Plovers as well as 50 Red Knots on Saturday and about 75 Knots on Sunday.

At the Westport jetty on Saturday there was a flock of about 50 Common Terns and a Parasitic Jaeger.

good birding,

Jim Flynn