Hello Tweets,

This evening my mother birded our first portion of our Birdathon in western
WA from Brady Loop Rd. to Tokeland with a total of 111 species in 5 hours
with our main highlight being a breeding-plumaged HUDSONIAN GODWIT at the
Tokeland Marina observed at 8:30pm,which was observed only in flight amongst
a flock of up to 10 Whimbrel, 4 Short-billed Dowitchers, 1 Ruddy
Turnstone,and 5-6 Dunlin. The bird was immediately picked out bu the deep
rust to brick red partially barred underparts with a dark brown back and the
distinctive white rump patch,as the bird flew around the tip of the most
southern portion of the Tokeland Marina and presumably to continue further
north. The head pattern was not noticed that long,but the bill was mainly
straight with a slight upcurve to it compared to the slightly larger darker
Whimbrels and their down curved bill. The bird was much slender in most
Marbled Godwits that we have observed in the past,and of course the color
and tones were completely wrong with their warm buffy-gold tones. The
underwings also viewed in flight were contrasted from dark inner wings to
lighter outer wings(with a very narrow white underwing stripe)visible in
flight. There were NO Marbled Godwits or Willets at Tokeland,or at any other
location during our coastal route.

Other highlights during our route included:

1 White-fronted Goose along Hwy.109,west of Aberdeen

1 SANDHILL CRANE along Brady Loop Rd.

1 adult SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER in breeding plumage along Hwy.109 amongst
Western and Leasyt Sandpipers,and Semipalmated Plovers in a flooded area
with vast areas of exposed mudflats,just north of the Johns River(across the
road from the Oceanspray Cranberry office and warehouse building)

1 Snowy Plover at Westport,with 3 at Midway Beach Rd.

2 Lesser Yellowlegs at the Johns River Wildlife Area

62 Red Knots at Bottle Beach

8 Parasitic Jaegers off the Westport Jetty

1 2nd year Herring Gull at Midway Beach Rd.

1 adult Mew Gull at the Tokeland Marina

80-90 Common Terns off the Westport Jetty

2 adult Lapland Longspurs in breeding plumage at Midway Beach Rd.


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net