Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I checked a few locations from the Hoquim STP in Grays
Harbor Co. to Tokeland in Pacific Co. in association to S.R.105 along with a
short stop made at the Nisqually NWR on our way home at 5:30pm. We
encountered a fairly good variety of species for the partial day with a few
notable highligfhts to be listed below with the most noteworthy observations
being migratory Greater White-fronted Geese and "Cackling"Canada Geese noted
at four major locations throughout the day. Our largest flock of Greater
White-fronted Geese noted at a single location was 245 birds over Tokeland
with this sighting and other remaining observations being pure flocks of
birds flying north to south with scattered flocks of "Cackling"Canada Geese
noted within the same locations as the Greater White-fronted Geese. We only
encountered two single grounded birds during the day observed at the
Nisqually NWR on our way home amongst 54 "Cackling"Canada Geese. This is our
first Greater White-fronted Geese of the season,but we are aware of other
recent sightings of single or multiple birds noted in western WA and also
several observations from Oregon.

Our main route began at the Hoquim STP at 12pm, then on to Bottle
Beach/Ocosta Third Street during incoming tide at 1pm,then on to Tokeland at
1:50pm with several sightings observed to and from destinations. On our way
home from Tokeland we stopped briefly at the Johns River Wildlife Area then
at the Nisqually NWR in Thurston Co. Shorebird numbers were very low at all
locations,except with the large shorebird flocks noted at Tokeland and 53
LONG-BILLED CURLEWS along the northern shores of Grays Harbor next to the
Hoquim STP with increased waterfowl numbers noted at several locations
consisiting mainly of migrating Northern Pintail,Am.Wigeon,and Green-winged
Teal among a few other waterfowl species. Good numbers of Common Loons,
Double-crested Cormorants,and various gulls species were also noted in
fairly large concentrations at several locations such as at Grays
Harbor(viewed from the Hoquim STP), Bottle Beach and Tokeland. At Tokeland
we carefully counted the Marbled Godwits that roosted on the southern most
floating dock in the sheltered marina with a grand total of 355 birds,which
seem to vary highly going by other observers at this same locaton. The bird
were mainly most congregated at the east end of the southern most dock and
counted at 100 birds at a time in three main sections with the last 55 birds
counted at the more spread out flock at the west end of the dock along with
2 of the 16 Willets, 2 Whimbrel,and 12 Long-billed Dowitchers that foraged
and roosted loosely amongst the larger shorebirds. A list of our highlight
species for the day follow below at selected locations:

Red-throated Loon
1 at Tokeland

Western Grebe
7 along S.R.105 at MP 20(North Cove)
24 at Tokeland

CLARK'S GREBE
1 at Tokeland

Brown Pelican
34 at the Hoquim STP

Double-crested Cormorant(high count)
870+ at Tokeland

Great Egret
1 along S.R.105 at the Elk River bridge at Bay City

Greater White-fronted Goose
55+ over Bottle Beach
160+ over S.R.105 at MP33(west of Bottle Beach)
245 over Tokeland
2 at the Nisqually NWR

"Cackling"Canada Goose
75+ over Ocosta Third Street/Bottle Beach
100 over Tokeland
45 over S.R105 at Grayland
230+ over the Johns River Wildlife Area
54 at the Nisqually NWR

Eurasian Wigeon
2 at Bottle Beach

Ring-necked Duck
8 at the Hoquim STP

Greater Scaup
4 at the Hoquim STP
14 at Bottle Beach

Lesser Scaup
8 at the Hoquim STP

Red-breasted Merganser
23 at Tokeland

Ruddy Duck
4 at the Hoquim STP

Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 along S.R.105 at Aberdeen
1 at Tokeland

Am.Kestrel
1 female at Bottle Beach/Ocosta Third Street

Merlin
1 at Lakewood,Pierce Co.
1 along S.R.105 at MP43(west of Aberdeen)
1 at Aberdeen

Virginia Rail(heard only)
1 at Ocosta Third Street

Black-bellied Plover
2 at Bottle Beach

Greater Yellowlegs
5 at Tokeland

Willet
16 at Tokeland

Whimbrel
2 at Tokeland

LONG-BILLED CURLEW
53 along the north shore of Grays Harbor at the Hoquim STP

Marbled Godwit
355 at Tokeland

Western Sandpiper
6 at the Hoquim STP

Least Sandpiper
28 at the Hoquim STP

BAIRD'S SANDPIPER(late date)
1 at the Hoquim STP

Long-billed Dowitcher
11 at the Hoquim STP
12 at Tokeland

Wilson's Snipe
1 at Ocosta Third Street

Caspian Tern
30 at Tokeland

Red-breasted Sapsucker(last species of day)
1 flying over I-5 south of Steilacoom,Pierce Co.

Western Scrub Jay
1 along Hwy.12 at Satsop

Hermit Thrush
1 at Tokeland

Am.Pipit
1 at the Hoquim STP

NORTHERN SHRIKE
1 at Bottle Beach
1 along S.R.105 at MP 33(west of Bottle Beach)

Lincoln's Sparrow
5 at Tokeland


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net