Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and scouted several areas from Bottle Beach to Ocean Shores with a few stops made at other locations including the Brady Loop Rd. complex,mainly to see what was around for our WOS field trip tomorrow. Shorebird migration was quite notable at most locations visited including the Bottle Beach area with greatly increased numbers of both Western and Least Sandpipers,and Short-billed Dowitchers at several key locations,but our visit to the Ocean Shores area was quite slow,as far as overall bird numbers and diversity. We did manage to have a fairly good scouting day,despite the relatively constant winds at times with just a few isolated rain showers. In addition to the Brady Loop Rd. area we checked the Wenzel Slough Rd. area and a short stop was made at the Nisqually NWR on our way home at 5pm. We also ran into several birders during the day,mainly at Ocean Shores. Our main highlight of the day was a single Western Kingbird actively foraging along Foster Rd. at 3:30pm on our return trip from Ocean Shores,as we watched the bird actively "flycatching" from fenceposts along the western side at the north end of Foster Rd. Other highlights during the day included a single adult Snow Goose with 10 Greater White-fronted Geese and a single Lesser Yellowlegs all at the Johns River Wildlife Area, then at Ocean Shores a single Ruddy Turnstone amongst up to 65 Black Turnstones and lesser numbers of Surfbirds, as well as 3 offshore flying Brown Pelicans at the Ocean Shores Jetty and 64 Marbled Godwits at the north end of the Ocean Shores Golf Course. Other highlights during the day included the following species at selected locations:

Red-throated loon
25 at the Ocean Shores Jetty

Pacific Loon
9 at the Ocean Shores Jetty

Brown Pelican
1 off Bottle Beach

Wood Duck
1 pair along Ocosta Third Street
2 pairs at the Nisqually NWR

Cinnamon Teal
1 pair along Ocosta Third Street
1 pair at the Johns River WA

Redhead
1 remaining male amongst scaup flocks along the north shore of Grays Harbor bordering the Hoquiam STP

Turkey Vulture
1 along Hwy.12 at the Wynoochee River bridge west of Montesano
12 along Brady Loop Rd.
2 along Wenzel Slough Rd.

Osprey
1 perched atop a nestsite along Hwy.12 at Montesano

Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 at Ocean Shores

Cooper's Hawk
1 at Ocean Shores

Am.Kestrel
1 at the Hoquiam STP

Merlin
1 at the Ocean Shores Jetty

Peregrine Falcon
1 immature along Foster Rd.
1 adult at the Nisqually NWR

Sora(heard only)
2 along Ocosta Third Street

Black-bellied Plover
45 at Bottle Beach
5 along Ocosta Third Street
8 at the Johns River WA
5 along Brady Loop Rd.

Semipalmated Plover
62 at Bottle Beach
2 along Ocosta Third Street
42+ at the base of Damon Point

Greater Yellowlegs
9 along Ocosta Third Street
23+ at the Johns River WA
43 along Foster Rd.
3 along Moore Rd. near Satsop
1 along Wenzel Slough Rd.

Red Knot
25 at Bottle Beach
5 along Ocosta Third Street

Sanderling
120+ at the Driftwood Drive beach access at Ocean Shores

Short-billed Dowitcher
250+ along S.R.105 at Ocosta
88 at Bottle Beach
340+ along Ocosta Third Street
150+ at the Johns River WA
17 at Bill's Spit(Ocean Shores)
65 along Foster Rd.
32 along Brady Loop Rd.

Bonaparte's Gull
8 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Band-tailed Pigeon
58+ along Wenzel Slough/Keys Rds. near Satsop

Northern Rough-winged Swallow
4 at the Nisqually NWR

Western Scrub Jay
1 along Brady Loop Rd.

Am.Pipit
17 at the Johns River WA
68+ along Brady Loop Rd.

Black-throated Gray Warbler
1 at the Johns River WA

Wilson's Warbler(heard only)
1 at Ocean City State Park

Lincoln's Sparrow
1 at the Johns River WA


Mammals:

48 Roosevelt Elk at the Johns River WA


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan