Hello Tweets,

Today Vicki Biltz,and my mother and I birded the Ocean Shores area,covering
many of the areas covered on the 22nd with an overall good diversity of
species and good weather throughout the day. Our main highlight of many was
undoubtedly the juvenile SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER that was relocated this
morning from 8:30am-9:30am at the same location as yesterday evening at the
Hoquim STP. The bird was observed well after it was initially located by Ted
Kenefick,as the bird actively foraged alone in the thickly vegetated areas
within the exposed shoreline,but the bird was far more concealed today than
yesterday. Lighting conditions appeared to be much more favorable yesterday
evening than this morning,as the bird didn't appear overall as bright in
tone and color,but we still viewed the bird well and at fairly close range.

Our other main highlights for the day in the Ocean Shores vicinity at
selected locations follow:

*1 male REDHEAD at the canal along JK Lewis St. at the Ocean Shores Golf
Course
*1 Sora at the previous location(initially identified as a Virginia Rail
within range,but later determined to species by Vicki)
*17 AM.GOLDEN PLOVERS and 3 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS at the Ocean Shores Game
Range(accessed from Tonquin Ave.)
*13 AM.GOLDEN PLOVERS and 5 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS at the Driftwood Drive
beach access(presumably part of the same individuals from the O.S.Game
Range observed earlier in the day). 1 AM.GOLDEN PLOVER with 6 Black-bellied
Plovers at the O.S.Game Range(accessed from behind the Ocean Shores STP)
*1 Baird's Sandpiper at Damon Point
*8 Pectoral Sandpipers at the Ocean Shores STP, with 1 at the Ocean Shores
Game Range(accessed from Tonquin Ave.)
*1 white-striped WHITE-THROATED SPARROW amongst a flock of Golden and
White-crowned Sparrows with Fox and Song Sparrows nearby in a extensive
Scotch Broom thicket across from the Silver King Motel along Discovery Ave.
We had 2 Common Yellowthroats at this same location on the 22nd among other
songbirds noted today.
*5 Lapland Longspurs at the Ocean Shores Game Range, with 14 at Damon Point

Overall we had an enjoyable day of birding at Ocean Shores at most of the
locations we visited and shorebird numbers were minimal in some locations
but very good at the Driftwood Drive beach access during our afternoon visit
with a high density of Western Sandpipers that contained 5,800+ birds
amongst a flock of other roosting shorebirds to be listed below. This was
our highest total and largest amount of Western Sandpipers since our visits
in July at this location. A list of our additional highlights for the day
follow below:

Red-throated Loon
5 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Pacific Loon
1 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Western Grebe
4 off the Ocean Shores Jetty
1 at the Ocean Shores Game Range

Cinnamon Teal(unusual location)
1 with 2 Am.Wigeon at the Ocean Shores Game Range

Ring-necked Duck
34 at the Hoquim STP

Greater Scaup
3 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Red-breasted Merganser
2 females with 1 female Common Mergansers at the Ocean Shores Game Range

Osprey
1 over Pt.Brown Ave./Grand Canal at Ocean Shores

Peregrine Falcon
1 adult and 1 immature at the Hoquim STP
1 immature at the Ocean Shores Game Range

Ring-necked Pheasant
1 male along Ocean Shores Blvd. north of Marine View Dr.

Black-bellied Plover
6 at the Ocean Shores Game Range
350+ at the Driftwood Drive beach access

Wandering Tattler
1 at the Ocean Shores Jetty

Black Turnstone
38 at the Ocean Shores Jetty

Surfbird
22 at the Ocean Shores Jetty

Red Knot
15 at the Driftwood Drive beach access

Sanderling
160+ at the Ocean Shores Jetty
140+ at the Driftwood Drive beach access

Western Sandpiper
4 at the Ocean Shores Jetty
60+ at the Ocean Shores Game Range
5,800+ at the Driftwood Drive beach access

Dunlin
1at the Ocean Shores Jetty
38 at the Driftwood Drive beach access

Short-billed Dowitcher
42 at the Driftwood Drive beach access

Long-billed Dowitcher
9 at the Hoquim STP

Wilson's Snipe
1 at the Hoquim STP

Parasitic Jaeger
2 light-morph adults off Driftwood Drive beach access

Bonaparte's Gull
1 at the Hoquim STP

Red-breasted Sapsucker
2 at the Hoquim STP

Western Scrub Jay
1 along Hwy.12 at MP 9 west of Montesano
1 along Hwy.12 at Elma

Orange-crowned Warbler
1 at the Ocean Shores Golf Course


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net