Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I spent 5 1/2 hours searching for the juvenile Ruff that we found yesterday along Hwy.12 between MP 18.8 and 19 at Elma,but we were unable to relocate the bird,despite extensive searching of the many available pastures and fields in the surrounding Elma-Brady area,including 3 visits to the exact location where the bird was present yesterday. We ran into two birders during our visit,despite the rather dismal weather conditions with increasing rain and wind and were able to locate good numbers of Black-bellied Plovers at two locations including 234 that were present during our first visit in the large,open pasture where the Ruff was found,with numbers that remained off and on throughout the day and a flock of 46 Black-bellied Plovers along the east end of Brady Loop Rd. It is assumed the flock of Black-bellied Plovers along Hwy.12 at Elma that we observed yesterday could be of a seperate different flocks that flew inland with the recent weather changes and tide conditions,or some of birds could be of the same flock. A single AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER was present during our entire visit(s)amongst the large flock of Black-bellied Plovers north of Hwy.12 at Elma at the previous location mentioned,which was our main shorebird highlight of the day. As mentioned we checked many areas in the surrounding area from Elma to Brady Loop Rd.,including a drive loop along Porter Creek Rd./South Bank Rd.(accessed from Hwy.12)and a visit to the Schouweiler Rd. wetland, and North Blockhouse and Dunlap Rds. near Elma among a few other locations. We were only able to locate any shorebirds at the locations mentioned previously with the majority of shorebirds being Black-bellied Plovers that mostly foraged in the open fields,but it is possible the juvenile Ruff could still be around,but at a more concealed location. Nevertheless we were fortunate to locate and photograph the bird yesterday for a very late record date for WA.

As weather declined through the day so did productivity,but we managed to locate a fairly good list of species for the general Elma-Brady area to be listed below:


Common Loon
1 along Wenzel Slough Rd. west of Vance Creek Co.Park

Western Grebe
1 along Wenzel Slough Rd. west of Vance Creek Co. Park

Am.Bittern
1 at the Schouweiler Rd. wetland

Tundra Swan
10 along Wenzel Slough Rd. west of Vance Creek Co. Park

REDHEAD
1 female at Vance Creek Co. Park(amongst 54 Ring-necked Ducks,6 Greater Scaups,and 12 Lessers Scaups)

Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 along Hwy.12 at Elma

Cooper's Hawk
1 along Brady Loop Rd.
1 at the Schouweiler Rd. wetland

Am.Kestrel
1 along Brady Loop Rd.

Merlin
1 along Porter Creek Rd.

Black-bellied Plover
234 along Hwy.12 at Elma
46 along Brady Loop Rd.

Dunlin
17 along Hwy.12 at Elma

Wilson's Snipe
4 along Wenzel Slough Rd.

Herring Gull
4 along Hwy.12 at Elma

THAYER'S GULL
3(2 adults,1 first-year bird)along Hwy.12 at Elma

Western Gull
2 adults along Hwy.12 at Elma

Mourning Dove
34 along Wenzel Slough Rd.

BARN SWALLOW
1 at the Schouweiler Rd. wetland

Western Scrub Jay
2 at Elma
1 at Satsop
1 along Brady Loop Rd.

Savannah Sparrow
1 along Brady Loop Rd.

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
1 white-striped form bird along North Blockhouse Rd.

"Slate-colored"Junco
1 along North Blockhouse Rd.



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net