Greetings, There are 11 weary but sated birders from Tahoma Audubon back home tonight after a marathon circumnavagation of the SW quarter of our State. We left early Saturday morning, drove west to Montesano, then down to Raymond, on to Long beach, up to Leadbetter Point, then back down to Ft. Canby for the night. This morning it was a quick tour of the state park, then to Ilwaco and on up the Columbia to Longview and back up I-5. Weather and time kept us from checking out Julia Butler NWR, but it will be there next time.We had 90 species for the trip including a LIFE BIRD for several in the group as we nailed the RUFF on Foster Road/Brady Loop. A big thanks to Dennis Duffy for picking it out of the field of approx. 100 GREATER YELLOWLEGS.Other highlights included a close up look (less than 30 feet) of a huge flock or resting DUNLIN near the public pier in South Bend. There were hundreds of them in literally every phase of transition for winter to summer markings. It w!
as an excellent chance to study the phases at very close range.The group also OOHed and AAHed over the breeding plumage BRANDT'S CORMORANTS on the cliffs at Ft. Canby. The blue on the throats was stunning! We found several species in breeding plumage including HORNED GREBE and COMMON LOON. Other highlights include two seperate PEREGRINES and lots of TURKEY VULTURES. We began seeing the TVs singly and in groups of up to 4 birds at the south end of Willapa Bay and eastward up the Columbia River as far as the Hansen NWR. SWALLOWS continue to increase in numbers, and there were MARSH WRENS everywhere! Fun weekend!-Rolan

Rolan Nelson
Burley, WA
rnbuffle at yahoo.com


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