Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded the Ocean Shores area again like in past
weeks,covering many of the familiar and productive locations throughout the
day,as overall we encountered a relatively slow day of birding overall until
the latter portion of the day. The day was very relaxing with fairly good
weather conditions and overall slow conditions. We began our day at the
Nisqually NWR at 8am,then continued to the Hoquim STP at 10:15am, then we
birded the remainder of the day at Ocean Shores as weather conditions
improved with a short stop made the Hoquim STP on our way home. As mentioned
we encountered a rather slow birding day with very low numbers of shorebirds
observed,but general waterbirds were numerous at most locations including a
very large gull flock at Bill's Spit that contained 7,800+ gulls with 90%
being California Gulls with lesser numbers of other species observed
including 42+ Herring Gulls. Our first main highlights of the day were a
flock of golden plovers at the Marine View Drive beach access observed and
photographed at 5pm that contained 15 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS and 3 PACIFIC
GOLDEN PLOVERS,with single Pacific Golden Plovers observed at two other
Ocean Shores locations earlier in the day to be listed below. Our second
highlight of the day was up to 5 NORTHERN FULMARS observed from the
Driftwood Drive beach access amongst a mixed feeding flock of Heermann's and
California Gulls, Black-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres along with
nearby Sooty Shearwaters,that mainly foraged further offshore. The birds
were all well observed and seperated from the nearby gulls and Sooty
Shearwaters by their distinctive relatively stocky body structure and much
slower flight pattern and speed compared to the Sooty Shearwaters. Our third
highlight of the day was a 3 falcon day at Ocean Shores that included both a
single Am.Kestrel near the Ocean Shores Jetty and a single adult
"Taiga"Merlin at the Ocean Shores Game Range that were photographed along
with 2 nearby Peregrine Falcons. Our main highlights of the day at selected
locations included:

Red-throated Loon
10 off the Ocean Shores Jetty
23 at the Ocean Shores Game Range
15 off the Driftwood Drive/Marine View Drive beach access

Pacific Loon
13 off the Ocean Shores Jetty
1 at the Ocean Shores Game Range
27 off the Driftwood Drive beach access

Red-necked Grebe
1 at the Ocean Shores Game Range

Western Grebe
8 off the Ocean Shores Jetty
24 off the Driftwood Drive/Marine View Drive beach access

NORTHERN FULMAR
5 off the Driftwood Drive beach access

Sooty Shearwater
65+ off the Driftwood Drive/Marine View Drive beach access

"Cackling"Canada Goose
1 at the Ocean Shores STP

Blue-winged Teal
2 females at the Ocean Shores STP

Canvasback
1 female north of Ocean City State Park

Greater Scaup
8 at the Hoquim STP
2 at the Lake Minard
1 at the Ocean Shores Game Range
2 at the Ocean Shores STP

Lesser Scaup
17 at the Hoquim STP
1 at the Ocean Shores Golf Course
5 at the Ocean Shores STP

Ring-necked Duck
8 at the Hoquim STP

Black Scoter
8 at the Ocean Shores Game Range

Red-breasted Merganser
2 remaining females at the Ocean Shores Game Range

Cooper's Hawk
1 at the Nisqually NWR

Am.Kestrel
1 along Wenzel Slough Rd. near Satsop
1 along Ocean Shores Blvd. north of the Ocean Shores Jetty(photographed)

Merlin
1 adult of the "Taiga" subspecies at the Ocean Shores Game Range

Peregrine Falcon
2 at the Ocean Shores Game Range(1 adult, 1 immature)

Black-bellied Plover
1 at the Ocean Shores Jetty(with 1 Pacific Golden Plover)
20 at the Ocean Shores Game Range
7 at Damon Point

PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER
1 at the Ocean Shores Jetty
1 at the Ocean Shores Game Range
3 at the Marine View Drive beach access

AM.GOLDEN PLOVER
15 at the Marine View Drive beach access

Greater Yellowlegs
10 along S.R.115 near Ocean City S.P.(north of Cean Shores)

Black Turnstone
1 along Airport Way(east of the Hoquim STP)
14 at the Ocean Shores Jetty

Least Sandpiper
8 at the Hoquim STP
1 at Damon Point

Pectoral Sandpiper
2 at the Ocean Shores STP

Long-billed Dowitcher
11 at the Hoquim STP

Wilson's Snipe
1 at the Ocean Shores Golf Course
1 along Brady Loop Rd.

Parasitic Jaeger
1 off the Ocean Shores Jetty
5 off the Driftwood Drive beach access

Herring Gull
42+ at Bill's Spit
18 at the Ocean Shores Game Range
7 at the Ocean Shores Golf Course

Black-legged Kittiwake
7 off the Ocean Shores Jetty
15 off the Driftwood Drive beach access

Northern"Yellow-shafted"Flicker
1 at Damon Point

Pileated Woodpecker
1 at the Nisqually NWR

Violet-green Swallow
120+ at the Nisqually NWR

Horned Lark
6 at Damon Point

Hermit Thrush
1 at the Ocean Shores Game Range

Am.Pipit
5 at the Ocean Shores Game Range
2 at the Ocean Shores Golf Course

Warbling Vireo(late date)
2 at the Nisqually NWR

Yellow Warbler
2 at the Nisqually NWR

Black-throated Gray Warbler(late date)
1 at the Nisqually NWR

Common Yellowthroat
2 at the Hoquim STP

Lapland Longspur
2 at Damon Point

Lincoln's Sparrow
2 at the Hoquim STP

Purple Finch
15 at the Hoquim STP
2 at the Ocean Shores Game Range

Evening Grosbeak
2 at the Nisqually NWR


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net