Subject: Sept.15th WOS field trip
Date: Sep 15 21:30:40 2002
From: Ruth Sullivan - GODWIT at worldnet.att.net
Hello Tweets,
Today my mother and I led a very rewarding WOS field trip from Bottle
Beach/Ocosta Third Street to Tokeland in both Grays Harbor and Pacific Cos.,
with additional coverage made at beach areas between Warrenton Cannery Rd.
and Midway Beach Rd., Westhaven State Park at Westport and the Hoquim STP.
We encoutered a total of 90 species within the group of 12
observers,including 22 species of shorebirds throughout the day. The trip
was very successful mainly in getting good looks at most of the species
observed and for allowing good comparisons within similiar species,although
we did miss a few key species that we had hoped for including Snowy Plover
and Long-billed Curlew along with a few additional species.A list of our
main highlights of the day included:
1 Great Egret at Tokeland
1 adult WHITE-TAILED KITE along Ocosta Third Street near Bottle Beach
2 Am.Kestrels at the Hoquim STP
2 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS with 1 juvenile at Bottle Beach and 1 juvenile at
Westhaven S.P. at Westport
2 juvenile AM.GOLDEN PLOVERS at Bottle Beach
1 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER at the Hoquim STP
1 dark-morph POMARINE JAEGER off the Westport Jetty
55+ Common Terns off the Westport Jetty
We had very good weather throughout the entire field trip that began at the
Hoquim STP at 8am and mainly ended at Westhaven SP at Westport with a
short,brief additional stop made along Brady Loop Rd. on our way home. We
began our day at the Hoquim STP where we all obtained good looks at the
remaining SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER that my mother and I located yesterday at
the same exact location,along with single nearby Spotted,Baird's, and
Pectoral Sandpipers,which of the four species we did not encounter during
the rest of the field trip. We also obtained a good presentation of how the
Hoquim sewage treatment facility works during all stages of sewage treatment
by a very skilled and trained employee that allowed all 12 of us access to
the sewage pond for viewing.We had nearly anticipated some rain in the
day,but due to good favorable weather conditions including calm winds
throughout the day we managed to have good viewing conditions at ALL visited
locations,including Bottle Beach that hosted 11 species of shorebird alone
during our morning visit at slowly outgoing tide between 9:45am-11am. We all
joined four other birders including Jason Paulios as all shorebird species
allowed close views,including good comparisons between American and Pacific
Golden Plovers that were present. Before arriving at Bottle Beach we drove
along Ocosta Third Street where we observed a hunting WHITE-TAILED KITE that
allowed good looks for a short time before flying off to the east towards
the Johns River Wildlife Area.
Continuing west and south our next major stop was made at Tokeland where we
searched for Bar-tailed Godwit,but with NO luck within the large continuing
flock of Marbled Godwits that contained 280+ birds south of the marina along
with 14 Willets and 2 Whimbrel.Other notable species at Tokeland during our
entire visit included: 10 Horned Grebes,4 Western Grebes,1 Great Egret,and 6
Greater Yellowlegs. On our way north we extensively scanned,searched,and
scoured the beaches from two areas accessed from S.R.105 including the
Warrenton Cannery Rd. beach access and Midway Beach Rd. beach access,mainly
in search of Snowy Plovers and Lapland Longspur with NO luck. We walked both
areas with more walking made at the Warrenton Cannery Rd. beach access but
encountered only a few species including our only few Sooty Shearwaters of
the trip,1 adult Parasitic Jaeger, up to 14 Horned Larks,and a single
Yellow-rumped"Audubon's"Warbler foraging in a Scotch Broom thicket. At
Westhaven S.P. at Westport we ended the day scanning Grays Harbor from the
east end of the main jetty,as calm conditions allowed views of a few notable
species during our 1.5 hour visit including: 2 Red-throated Loons,6 Western
Grebes,2 Ruddy Turnstones,1 dark-morph POMARINE JAEGER,up to 3 Parasitic
Jaegers,4 Black-legged Kittiwakes, and 55+ Common Terns among several other
waterbird species. We also noted up to 6 presumed Harbor Porpoises from this
location,being our highlight mammal species for the day as they foarged
loosely with the harbor at varying distances from land. On our way home 4 of
us stopped along Monte-Brady Loop Rd. due to the remaining light and located
2 Western Scrub Jays for the last species of the day. The field trip was
successful waether and birding wise.
A complete list of our notable highlights follows for the entire field trip:
Red-throated Loon
1 off S.R.105 at MP 20.5 south of North Cove
22+ off Warrenton Cannery Rd./Midway Beach Rd. beach access
2 at Westport
Common Loon
1 off Bottle Beach
14 at Tokeland
5 at Westport
Horned Grebe
10 at Tokeland
Western Grebe
4 at Tokeland
6 at Westport
Great Egret
1 at Tokeland
WHITE-TAILED KITE
1 along Ocosta Third Street near Bottle Beach
Am.Kestrel
2 at the Hoquim STP
Peregrine Falcon
1 at the Hoquim STP
1 at Bottle Beach
1 along S.R.105 at MP 19 north of Tokeland
Black-bellied Plover
310+ at Bottle Beach
PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER
1 at Botle Beach
1 at Westport
AM.GOLDEN PLOVER
2 at Bottle Beach
Semipalmated Plover
6 at the Hoquim STP
42 at Bottle Beach
9 at Tokeland
3 at the Warrenton Cannery Rd. beach access
Greater Yellowlegs
5 at Bottle Beach
6 at Tokeland
Willet
14 at Tokeland
Spotted Sandpiper
1 at the Hoquim STP
Whimbrel
2 at Tokeland
Marbled Godwit
280+ at Tokeland
Ruddy Turnstone
2 at Westport
Black Turnstone
1 at Westport
Red Knot
1 at Bottle Beach
Sanderling
1 at Bottle Beach
18 along S.R.105 at MP 20.5 south of North Cove
10 at Tokeland
28+ at the Warrenton Cannery Rd./Midway Beach Rd. beach access
8 at Westport
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER
1 at the Hoquim STP
Western Sandpiper
38+ at Bottle Beach
Least Sandpiper
5 at the Hoquim STP
25 at Bottle Beach
6 at Tokeland
Baird's Sandpiper
1 at the Hoquim STP
Pectoral Sandpiper
1 at the Hoquim STP
Dunlin
14 at Bottle Beach
Short-billed Dowitcher
27 at Bottle Beach
2 at Tokeland
Common Snipe
1 at Bottle Beach
POMARINE JAEGER
1 at Westport
Parasitic Jaeger
1 off the Warrenton Cannery Rd. beach access
3 at Westport
Heermann's Gulls(notable count for locations)
340+ at Tokeland
220+ along S.R.105 at MP 20.5 south of North Cove
Mew Gull
6 at the Hoquim STP
Black-legged Kittiwake
4 at Westport
Caspian Tern
1 at the Hoquim STP
6 along S.R.105 at MP 20.5
42 at Tokeland
14 at Westport
Common Tern
55+ at Westport
Horned Lark
14 at the Midway Beach Rd. beach access
Western Scrub Jay
2 along Monte-Brady Loop Rd.
Am.Pipit
23 at the Hoquim STP
2 at the Midway Beach Rd. beach access
Purple Finch
7 at Bottle Beach
Evening Grosbeak
9 along Ocosta Third Street
Good birding,
Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net