Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I enjoyed a rewarding day at Ocean Shores with a nice list of highlights including 21 species of shorebirds for the day. Our main highlights of several of the day were multiple sightings of Pacific Golden Plovers observed at 4 main locations consisting of adult birds in alternate plumage. We began the day at the Ocean Shores Golf Course at 7am,after driving in heavy fog at times from Elma to Aberdeen with clearing conditions at Ocean Shores. Upon our arrival to the west portion of the Ocean Shores Golf Course our first Pacific Golden Plover was briefly noted,as it flew to the west and south towards the ocean beaches in the direction of Marine View Drive. The bird clearly gave it's loud two syllable "chu-whee" call note several times as it flew into the distance. Our second encounter was of 2 birds observed flying over the base of the Ocean Shores Jetty at 8:30am from Westport along the ocean beaches towards the Driftwood Drive beach access,which also both gave similar call notes heard previously,then after 10am upon visiting the ocean beaches immediately south of the Driftwood Drive beach access we located 4 birds roosting together on the open sandy area along the upper beach,but they did not remain due to beachcombers,etc. and seemed very wary and alert to our overall presence as well,even at a safe distance. The birds flew east in the direction of the Oyhut Wildlife Area(Ocean Shores Game Range)and by 2pm we had presumably relocated the same 4 individual adult birds roosting in beach vegetation/sand at the Oyhut Wildlife Area(accessed from the Ocean Shores STP),which they too appeared very wary to approach. We assumed there were at least 5 individual Pacific Golden Plovers that we observed during the day and perhaps there could be more in the Ocean Shores area and perhaps will in a weeks time or so.

Our other main highlight of the day was a Manx Shearwater again observed from the Ocean Shores Jetty at midway point with a spotting scope flying approximately 90 yards northwest off the jetty and continuing north out of scoping range at 8:50am within 30 minutes of arriving to the jetty and scanning the open water in both directions. Today the bird unlike in other observations was observed flying alone although Sooty Shearwaters were noted from the jetty too,but not in the same vicinity and lighting condition were exceptional with good back lighting. The bird was looked for continuously after 8:50am,but not seen again during our 1.5 hour visit. It seems this bird or perhaps multiple bird have been seemingly consistent from this location this summer and perhaps evenmore observations will occur with enough effort applied. The best times in observing this species going by personal observations seems to be in the morning before 11am when lighting conditions can become poor with heat waves,etc and also more windy conditions after that time period too,although several sightings have been observed in the afternoon and evening,so this may be a positive tip to future visits made by other birders in search of this species. Other notable highlights noted at the Ocean Shores Jetty included a single light-morph adult Pomarine Jaeger observed flying approxiatmetely 50 yards off the jetty and continuing south towards Westport,as several of the key features of this species were observed including the long spoon-shaped tail streamers or tassels were noted,relatively heavy build,thicker billed and showing obvious slower wing beats of this species compared to similar jaeger species,specifically Parasitic Jaeger. Up to two adult Parasitic Jaegers were also observed together at this location several times during our visit for comparison. Good numbers of Brown Pelicans,Heermann's Gulls and Common Murres were very apparent,followed by with lesser numbers of Rhinoceros Auklets and distant Sooty Shearwaters with only a few that came fairly close to the jetty during our visit.

Overall shorebird numbers were quite good at several locations,although a few locations produced few shorebird species. Probably the best two shorebird species of the day away from the Pacific Golden Plovers were a single Willet observed at the east portion of the Oyhut Wildlife Area(accessed from Marine View Drive),which is noteworthy sighting for Ocean Shores and 2 adult Pectoral Sandpipers with single birds noted at two locations,beginning with our first bird that remained during two visits at the Ocean Shores STP and a single adult bird at the Damon Point"pond" amongst several Least Sandpipers.

A list of additional highlights noted at selection locations and times included the following below:

Hoquiam STP 6:30am

1 Northern Pintail
2 Greater Scaup
5 Lesser Scaup
1 female Bufflehead
1 Bonaparte's Gull

Ocean Shores Golf Course 7am

1 immature Cooper's Hawk
1 Pacific Golden Plover

Ocean Shores STP 7:30am-8:05am,1:50pm

1 Green-winged Teal
20 Northern Shovelers
2 Greater Scaup
1 adult Cooper's Hawk
3 Spotted Sandpipers
15 Least Sandpipers
1 Pectoral Sandpiper
1 Short-billed Dowitcher
2 Long-billed Dowitchers

Ocean Shores Jetty 8:20am-9:50am

1 Red-throated Loon
1 Common Loon
480+ Sooty Shearwaters
1 Manx Shearwater
180+ Brown Pelicans
1 female Harlequin Duck
8 Surf Scoters
2 Pacific Golden Plovers
15 Wandering Tattlers
12 Ruddy Turnstones
7 Black Turnstones
36 Surfbirds
600+ Red-necked Phalaropes(observed offshore in varying groups of 15-40 birds at a times flying from north to south)
1 Pomarine Jaeger
2 Parasitic Jaegers
440+ Heermann's Gulls
3 Marbled Murrelets
12 Barn Swallows(observed flying from the tip of jetty to offshore waters)

Driftwood Drive beach access 10am-11am

42+ Brown Pelicans
210+ Black-bellied Plovers
4 Pacific Golden Plovers
9 Semipalmated Plovers
1 Ruddy Turnstone
3 Red Knots
650+ Sanderlings
85+ Western Sandpipers
1 Least Sandpiper
1 Dunlin
30 Short-billed Dowitchers
65+ Red-necked Phalaropes(observed flying south in offshore waters)

Perkin's Pond(Cabana Pool) 11:15am

2 adult Green Herons
1 female Bufflehead
3 female Hooded Mergansers
1 male Anna's Hummingbird

Grand Canal(accessed from Discovery Ave. near the Ocean Shores Marina)

1 adult Green Heron

Bill's Spit 11:30am-12pm

1 adult Peregrine Falcon
275+ Black-bellied Plovers(observed flying over from North Bay towards the ocean beaches)
8 Semipalmated Plovers
90+ Western Sandpipers
165+ Least Sandpipers

Damon Point/Oyhut Wildlife Area 12pm-1:30pm

2 Common Loons
45+ Brown Pelicans
1 female Black Scoter
30 Black-bellied Plovers
15 Semipalmated Plovers
1 Willet
2 Whimbrel
80+ Western Sandpipers
65+ Least Sandpipers
1 Pectoral Sandpiper
1 Dunlin
1 "Streaked"Horned Lark

Ocean Shores STP/Oyhut Wildlife Area 1:45pm-2:45pm

35 Brown Pelicans
88 Surf Scoters
2 female Hooded Mergansers
1 Osprey
170+ Black-bellied Plovers
4 Pacific Golden Plovers
2 adult Snowy Plovers
8 Semipalmated Plovers
27 Least Sandpipers
1 Pectoral Sandpiper
3 Dunlin
25 Short-billed Dowitchers
2 Long-billed Dowitchers

Ocean Shores Blvd.(north of Marine View Drive) 3pm

1 male Ring-necked Pheasant



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net