Hey Tweeters,
Yesterday was a moderately good day out at the coast, though
shorebirds were seen in somewhat low numbers. The first coastal stop of the
day was made at the Hoquiam STP, where a first basic FRANKLIN'S GULL was
readily seen and videotaped both on the sewage ponds (very briefly) and on
the adjacent shoreline of Gray's Harbor with many other more common gulls. I
tried to make it into a Laughing, but failed miserably as usual. Still quite
a nice bird for the coast. This is probably the same bird which was reported
a few weeks ago in a similar plumage. Otherwise the ponds were fairly slow;
the water has risen since I was last there so there is very little shorebird
habitat in the pond.
We then went out to Damon Point. At the former pond was a very crisp
first basic plumaged LAPLAND LONGSPUR that allowed crippling views with a
large flock of AMERICAN PIPITS and SAVANNAH SPARROWS. Also in that flock was
a LINCOLN'S SPARROW, which seem quite odd. Past the pond on the other side of
the road, I flushed a juvenile AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER from one of the mostly
bare-ground meadows, and it gave its mournful but emphatic call as it flew
off. The next stop was at the Driftwood beach access, which was very slow and
the only shorebirds seen were SANDERLINGS. Then it was on to the jetty where
there was a nice show of jaegers chasing HEERMAN'S GULLS and SOOTY
SHEARWATERS off shore. Two of them were PARASITIC, along with a single
POMARINE. All were subadults. This was my first Pomarine from shore, but I've
seen them as close as 2 miles out on pelagic trips.

That is all, good birding.

Charlie Wright
Birdking88 at aol.com
Sumner, WA