Kristin Stewart and I birded Ocean Shores Monday morning and early
afternoon. We were out on the north jetty around 8:00 AM surrounded by
Heerman's Gulls, Brown Pelicans, Caspian Tern, Pacific Loons and Common
Murres in a nice feeding flock. Occasional small bunches of Surf Scoter and
Rhino Auklets flew by the tip along with more murres and Pacific Loons. All
three cormorant species were present in the water by the jetty but only a
few shearwaters were around and all were Sootys. Still had terrific views
of all the birds, the sun was to our backs, low wind, and the birds were
very close. Nice to see all the different plumage varieties on the Common
Murres, also you could watch them "fly" underwater for the first few feet of
their dive.

Other birds at the jetty:
1 R/T Loon
3 Wandering Tattler (juv)
3 Ruddy Turnstone (juv)
4 Black Turnstone (juv)
6 Surfbird (juv)

We had an noteworthy freshwater sighting at the sewage ponds of a juvenile
WANDERING TATTLER feeding along the rocky edge of the first pond. It fed
near a juvenile Least Sandpiper and Spotted Sandpiper for a minute while we
watched. As it flew off it called and circled once, landing on the far
edge. It stayed for another 10 seconds or so and then flew off (while
calling) towards the nearby jetty.

Also at the ponds:
5 Least Sandpiper
6 Long-billed Dowitcher (called as they flew in, landed for a second, and
then flew off again)
6 Red-necked Phalarope (juv. A few retaining a hint of buffy breast color)
1 Vaux's Swift
15 Cliff Swallow

During the high tide we decided to try Damon Point to see if the shorebirds
would be hiding out in the grass near the tidal pond. As we walked the
trail out I noticed one COMMON LOON in the bay and we found one early
juvenile BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER along the beach on the opposite side of the
tide channel. Where the channel comes into the pond we found a small group
of shorebirds in the Salicornia. Six SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, four Spotted
Sandpiper and some Leasts. We walked towards the back of the pond and were
buzzed by a few flocks of 10-30 shorebirds (one flock of Semi Plovers, and a
few Western/Least bunches). Along the way back we came upon a juvenile
WHIMBREL hanging out in the grassy portion by the primitive trail.
Encountered a few more Semi Plovers and Leasts on the way out in the pools
near the dune.

The Hoquiam sewage pond has hardly any mud and doesn't seem to be drawing
the shorebirds (based only on my two visits here in a week). We did add a
few birds here though:
1 Gadwall
1 Green-winged Teal (very active feeding, actually diving down for short
periods which made for an initial mistake in the ID. When diving it spread
its wings out like a Surf Scoter or L/T Duck, probably trying to do all it
could to get deeper underwater)
3 Greater Scaup
1 Bufflehead (female)

Jason Paulios
Jpaulios at earthlink.net
Olympia, WA