Hey Tweeters,

Fred Boesche and myself headed out early on the morning of the 30th. We
arrived at the parking lot for Leadbetter Point at about 8:30am, and began
walking northward up the bay side. Fog wasn't helping our visibility in the
least, so we concentrated on passerines for a while, coming up with a few
nice-sized migrant flocks, including an early Golden-crowned Sparrow and the
first lowland pipits of the season. Eventually we found ourselves on the
west side of the tip, birding on Grassy Island a little after low tide.
There was unfortunately little activity in the shrubbery here this day, so
we moved on towards the tip.

Upon arriving at the beach we had pleasant views of Baird's and several
other shorebirds, and while rounding the end of the point, a crisp American
Golden-Plover was studied with a few Sanderlings before it flew off calling
into the mist. Walking south now along the beach, we ran into several
massive shorebird flocks (five flocks containing several thousand birds),
the bulk of which were Black-bellied Plovers in various plumages. Sifting
though these flocks, while no rarities were found, we got a good count on
Red Knots, including some juveniles now coming in. In among the flocks a
Long-billed Dowitcher was calling somewhere. Most of these birds were
located about 1 mile north of the end of the yellow trail from the parking
lot, and they literally covered the beaches and skies. Leaving them, we
kept hiking the beach towards the blue trail, and finally just before
reaching it spotted a Snowy Plover scurrying around on the sand for the last
of 17 shorebird species.

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

from 80 species on the point -
Red-throated Loon (15)-flying offshore to south
Pacific Loon (1)
Common Loon (2)
HORNED GREBE (1)-early bird in the bay
Sooty Shearwater (some 1000's)-flying to north rather close
Brown Pelican (110)
Double-crested Cormorant (120)-southbound
Pelagic Cormorant (3)
Surf Scoter (30)
White-winged Scoter (14)
Common Merganser (3)
Northern Harrier (2 female-type)
Black-bellied Plover (8500)
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER (1 juvenile)
Snowy Plover (1 adult female)
Semipalmated Plover (120)-conservative
Killdeer (2)
Greater Yellowlegs (1)
Whimbrel (1)-heard only
Ruddy Turnstone (6)
Red Knot (38)
Sanderling (2200)
Western Sandpiper (4000+)
Least Sandpiper (12)
Baird's Sandpiper (4)
DUNLIN (1 adult)
Short-billed Dowitcher (1450)
Long-billed Dowitcher (1)-heard
Red-necked Phalarope (5)
Ring-billed Gull (200)
Heermann's Gull (100)
Herring Gull (1)
Caspian Tern (150)
Northern Flicker (3)
Hutton's Vireo (8)
Warbling Vireo (6)
Steller's Jay (12)
Violet-green Swallow (2)
Barn Swallow (5)
Black-capped Chickadee (30)
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (25)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (3)
Brown Creeper (4)
Bewick's Wren (1)
Winter Wren (2)
Marsh Wren (5)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (6)
Swainson's Thrush (1)
AMERICAN PIPIT (2)
Cedar Waxwing (40)
Orange-crowned Warbler (22)
Yellow Warbler (2)
Black-throated Gray Warbler (1)
Townsend's Warbler (3)
Common Yellowthroat (12)
Wilson's Warbler (1)
Savannah Sparrow (30)
White-crowned Sparrow (1)
GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (1)
Brown-headed Cowbird (10)
Purple Finch (6)
Red Crossbill (12)
Pine Siskin (1)