Greetings Tweeters,

I spent the day birding Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties with Carol
Schulz. The day was pretty wet overall, but we managed to get some birding
in between the showers. The wind was variable but reasonably calm for the
most part.

Our first birding was along Brady Loop Road, where many TURKEY VULTURES
were noted as well as my first OSPREY in the state this season. In the nice
flooded fields along Foster Road, a flock of 32 GREATER YELLOWLEGS was
presumably a sign of migration. Continuing west, another OSPREY was perched
in a nest along the Chehalis River south of Montesano.

Ocosta Third Street had the usual suspects with two pairs of WOOD DUCKS,
many BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, several LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, and DUNLIN.
Also present there were many NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED and BARN, plus several
CLIFF SWALLOWS. Shorebird migration is still not very apparent, however, as
Bottle Beach had only DUNLINS (though there were over 7000 of them).

Next birding was Midway Beach Road, where we drove a half mile south on
the beach before locating 9 SNOWY PLOVERS hunkered down out of the wind.
Also from Midway Beach Rd, we saw a huge movement of RED-THROATED LOONS
flying offshore to the north. They were flying by constantly at a rate of
about 50 per minute. Perhaps the most I have ever seen in such a short
time. Our final stop of the day was the Hoquiam Sewage Treatment Plant,
where our only real surprise of the day occurred. I couldn't believe my
eyes when I saw a male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD sallying out from the chain-link
fence on the south edge of the ponds. We watched this bird for a couple of
minutes before it flew to the Bowerman Airstrip nearby. That's all for now.

Cheers and good birding,
--
Charlie Wright
Sumner, WA
charlie at birdwright.com