Hello Tweets,

My mother and I spent July 19th-20th checking several coastal locations,specifically for migrating shorebirds. Our best day was the 19th at Ocean Shores with the best weather and most highlights observed,as the weather today was much different with low clouds,fog and drizzle at many locations from Ocean Shores to Midway Beach Rd. with improving conditions at Tokeland and along our way home. We encountered a total of 114 species during the two day trip to Grays Harbor and Pacific Cos. of which several key highlights were noted. Our main route consisted of Ocean Shores on the 19th with extensive walking made at ALL the key locations including the majority of the Ocean Shores Game Range,the Ocean Shores Jetty,Damon Point,and along the ocean beaches between Driftwood Drive and Butter Clam Street among other locations throughout the day with our best weather of the trip encountered with fairly calm,sunny conditions. On the 20th we woke up to very light rain and drizzle at Ocean Shores,as we checked a few locations that we checked the previous day then we worked our way to Tokeland,although tide conditions were to our disadvantage. Our largest and densest shorebird flocks and numbers were encounter at Ocean Shores on the 19th with our second year evening check along the ocean beaches between Driftwood Drive and Butter Clam Street beach access areas that hosted good concentrations of shorebirds of 7 species,being mostly of Western Sandpipers and Short-billed Dowitchers followed by lesser numbers of Black-bellied Plovers. This location appears to host dense numbers of shorebirds that seem to use the upper beach areas for nightly roosting,as well as the water's edge for foraging despite the heavy traffic in this area by humans. A fairly quick check of the location the following morning in drizzly conditions did not produce the large numbers of shorebirds,except for a few scattered numbers of shorebirds. A generous search of ALL the access areas of the Ocean Shores Game Range yielded few shorebirds,but up to 3 Snowy Plovers were located at this location including an adult male and female with 1 immature noted,which makes this our 3rd personal year for this species at this location. On the 20th a walk north of the end of Midway Beach Rd. produced a our best personal numbers of Snowy Plovers this season with 10 adults,2 immatures and 2 juveniles observed along with up to 17 "Streaked"Horned Larks that were encountered. Our main highlights of the trip included the following noted at selected locations:

Manx Shearwater

1 well observed approximately 55-90 yards off the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 19th between 8:45am-8:49am,as a extensive scan was made from the tip of the Ocean Shores Jetty. The bird was first observed approximately 70 yards to the northwest of the tip of the jetty,then continued south towards the mouth of Grays Harbor associating mainly by itself with up to 5-7 Sooty Shearwaters that were noted in association at any one time,as it was immediately separated by it's obvious black and white plumage,being solid black above and complete white below(including the slightly duskier underwings),much smaller size and faster wingbeats compared to the larger,darker Sooty Shearwaters. The Manx Shearwater continued into Grays Harbor for up to approximately a quarter mile before flying back to the mouth of Grays Harbor and continuing north,as it came with the closest observation of 55 yards from the tip of the Ocean Shores Jetty and kept flying rapidly north,as it at times flew further out in the ocean than others within the 4 minute observation.The wingbeats varied from 2 to 5 rapid wingbeats before a glide on the Manx Shearwater in all observations. The weather conditions were superb for viewing conditions with very calm conditions with the morning sunlight,making contrast and colors of all birds noted stand out even more. The Manx Shearwater was a species that was kept in mind on this trip and should be for future trips to September off the Ocean Shores Jetty,where ALL our personal sighting have occurred from. This individual bird is most likely the same Manx Shearwater recently reported by Bruce Labar on the Westport Pelagic trip on the 19th.

Harlequin Duck

1 female at Tokeland on the 20th,which seems highly unusual for this location,especially for the season.

Semipalmated Sandpiper
1 adult bird at the Ocean STP at Ocean Shores on the 19th with nearby Western and Least Sandpipers

Pectoral Sandpiper
2 adult birds observed on both days at the Ocean Shores STP at Ocean Shores,which was our first highlight of the trip. The birds were mainly observed and photographed together on the 19th,but foraged loosely amongst up to 8 Long-billed Dowitchers and 1 Short-billed Dowitcher,as well along the rocky shoreline of the north pond and were again observed today upon searching the location. This species was our best shorebird highlight of the trip and our first personal sighting of this species for July.

Red Knot

40 birds amongst other shorebird species along the outer beaches north of the Marine View Drive beach access at Ocean Shores on the 19th in several plumages. The birds were observed during the early evening at high tide.

Cassin's Auklet

1 bird observed alone 25 yards off the tip of the Ocean Shores Jetty on the 19th,before flying off to the north.This was 5 out of 6 total alcid species noted at this location.

Gray Jay
1 apparent juvenile bird observed along Hwy.101 at MP 70 south of the town of Artic in southern Grays Harbor Co. on the 20th.



A list of notable species noted at all locations visited follows below:


July,19th,2003

Cyber Lake(accessed off of S.R.115 south of Ocean City S.P. near Ocean Shores)

2 female Hooded Mergansers
20 Greater Yellowlegs
4 Short-billed Dowitchers
2 Olive-sided Flycatchers

Ocean Shores S.T.P.

2 female Northern Shovelers(with young)
1 Greater Scaup
1 Semipalmated Sandpiper
95+ Western Sandpipers
34 Least Sandpipers
2 Pectoral Sandpipers
1 Short-billed Dowitcher
8 Long-billed Dowitchers

Ocean Shores Jetty 8am-9:30am

1 Red-throated Loon
1 Manx Shearwater
28 Sooty Shearwaters
3 Brown Pelicans
20 Surf Scoters
22 White-winged Scoters
4 Wandering Tattlers
14 Black Turnstones
4 Surfbirds
3 Sanderlings
2 Western Sandpipers
1 Least Sandpiper
450+ Heermann's Gulls
very good numbers of Rhinoceros Auklets with lesser numbers of Common Murres flying to and from the mouth of Grays Harbor
1 Marbled Murrelet
1 Cassin's Auklet
1 Tufted Puffin

Perkin's Pond(accessed from the Cabana Pool at Ocean Shores)

1 Green Heron
1 female Bufflehead
3 female hooded Mergansers

Damon Point/Ocean Shores Game Range

8 Red-throated Loons
10 Pacific Loons
14 Common Loons
4 Western Grebes
78 Surf Scoters
1 female Black Scoter
1 Turkey Vulture
1 Peregrine Falcon
5 Western Sandpipers
1 Least Sandpiper
87 Short-billed Dowitchers
6 "Streaked"Horned Larks
3 Red Crossbills

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

1 adult Green Heron

Ocean Shores Marina

2 Black Turnstones

Ocean Shores Game Range(accessed from the Ocean Shores STP)

15 Brown Pelicans
3 Turkey Vultures
2 Snowy Plovers(1 adult female,1 immature)
23 Semipalmated Plovers
18 Western Sandpipers
5 Least Sandpipers
7 Short-billed Dowitchers

Bill's Spit

3 Whimbrel
1,500+ Western Sandpipers
450+ California Gulls

Marine View Drive/Driftwood Drive beach access

180+ Black-bellied Plovers
40+ Red Knots
2,500+ Western Sandpipers
7 Sanderlings
6 Dunlin
800+ Short-billed Dowitchers

Ocean Shores Game Range(accessed from Tonquin Ave.)

14 Common Loons(including one calling bird heard)
2 Sooty Shearwaters
6 Brown Pelicans
60+ Surf Scoters
1 female Northern Harrier
40 Black-bellied Plovers
3 Snowy Plovers(1 adult male and female,1 immature)
3 Greater Yellowlegs
32 Western Sandpipers
2 Dunlin
8 Short-billed Dowitchers
250+ Rhino.Auklets
14 Orange-crowned Warblers
1 Wilson's Warbler


July 20th,2003

Tonquin Ave.(Ocean Shores)

1 adult male Anna's Hummingbird

Driftwood drive beach access

12 Semipalmated Plovers
1 Ruddy Turnstone
1 Black Turnstone
8 Western Sandpipers

Ocean Shores STP

1 Ring-necked Pheasant(heard only)
58 Western Sandpipers
16 Least Sandpipers
2 Pectoral Sandpipers
5 Long-billed Dowitchers

Hoquiam STP

1 Pied-billed Grebe
7 Lesser Scaup
2 female Buffleheads
28 Western Sandpipers
43 Least Sandpipers

Bottle Beach/Ocosta Third Street

1 female Northern Harrier
12 Virginia Rails(1 bird heard/1 bird seen)
15 Black-bellied Plovers
7 Greater Yellowlegs
25+ Whimbrel
320+ Western Sandpipers
60+ Short-billed Dowitchers
2 Willow Flycatchers

Midway Beach Rd.

14 Snowy Plovers(10 adult,2 immatures and 2 juveniles)
13 Sanderlings
17 "Streaked"Horned Larks

Tokeland,Pacific Co.

1 female Harlequin Duck
4 Turkey Vultures
220+ Whimbrel
2 Marbled Godwits
140+ Short-billed Dowitchers
250+ Heermann's Gulls
1 Olive-sided Flycatcher

Hwy.101 at MP 70(south of Artic,Grays Harbor Co.)

1 Gray Jay

Hwy.12 at the Satsop River bridge

1 Western Scrub Jay



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net