Hey all,

My family and I just returned from a trip out to the Long Beach Peninsula
for the weekend, leaving home on the afternoon of the 9th. Wonderful
weather the whole trip; we never felt a drop of rain. Sunday before noon I
hiked out Leadbetter Point for the rest of the day. It was an excellent
experience, and there were really huge numbers of birds particularly on the
ocean side. Seabirds were the highlight, and several species normally seen
further offshore were present in surprising numbers (e.g. Pink-footed
Shearwater). Among the seabirds were two Manx Shearwaters, which I finally
picked out flying together and got on several field marks before they
disappeared into the feeding frenzy again. Shorebirds were also seen in
great numbers on the outer beach. This is truly a fantastic area.

Leadbetter Point, Pacific County
August 10, 2003
11:15am-7:00pm

A slightly-selective list from 84 total on the point:

Red-throated Loon (5 ad)
Pacific Loon (1 ad, 4 im)
Common Loon (30)
Pink-footed Shearwater (21)-some just off the surf.
MANX SHEARWATER (2)-seen briefly in SOSH swarm at 4:30pm.
Sooty Shearwater (90,000+)-several immense feeding flocks, plus near
constant stream of birds 200-400/m.
Brown Pelican (2)
Brandt's Cormorant (10)
Great Blue Heron (60)
Greater Scaup (6)
Turkey Vulture (1)-flying northward off the point.
Northern Harrier (1 fem)-Willapa side.
Bald Eagle (1 ad, 1 im)
Black-bellied Plover (700+)-mainly in three large flocks on outer beach.
golden-plover, spp. (1)-flew over Willapa Bay w/ BBPLs.
Semipalmated Plover (3)
Greater Yellowlegs (1)
Lesser Yellowlegs (2)
Ruddy Turnstone (2)
Red Knot (2 ad)
Sanderling (3000)
Dunlin (2 ad)
Western Sandpiper (1200)
Least Sandpiper (200)
Short-billed Dowitcher (18)-outer beach.
Wilson's Snipe (1)-salicornia.
Red-necked Phalarope (190)-in flocks of 30 or so offshore, also many on the
beach.
Parasitic Jaeger (1 ad, 4 subad)-chasing flocks of phalaropes and CATEs.
Pomarine Jaeger (6 ad)-harassing the shearwaters and gulls near shore.
jaeger, spp. (1 juv, Parasitic/Long-tailed)
Bonaparte's Gull (1)
Ring-billed Gull (300)
California Gull (1000)
Glaucous-winged Gull (500)
Western Gull (500)
Heermann's Gull (350)
Caspian Tern (400)
Common Murre (450)
Marbled Murrelet (1)
Rhinoceros Auklet (15)
Band-tailed Pigeon (1)-Stackpole Road.
Rufous Hummingbird (1 fem)-flying over salicornia.
Olive-sided Flycatcher (3)
Willow Flycatcher (1)
Hutton's Vireo (1)
Barn Swallow (200)
Cliff Swallow (10)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (2)
Brown Creeper (3)
Winter Wren (1)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (4)
Orange-crowned Warbler (2)
Wilson's Warbler (1)
Western Tanager (3)
Savannah Sparrow (30)
Purple Finch (2)
Red Crossbill (20)
Pine Siskin (5)

Harbor Porpoise (6)
Harbor Seal
Douglas Squirrel
Black Bear (1)-crossed Stackpole Road on the drive out.

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