Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded the Ocean Shores area covering the major locations including the Oyhut Wildlife Area(Ocean Shores Game Range), Damon Point, the Ocean Shores Jetty and the ocean beaches between Driftwood Drive and Marine View Drive. Overall birding was quite slow at several locations and shorebird numbers were fairly low,but the best birding locations were the Ocean Shores Jetty and the ocean beaches between Driftwood Drive and Marine View Drive with the latter location specifically good for two main flock of roosting shorebirds noted at two times during the day. Due to the varying numbers of roosting shorebirds noted at two times during the day we assumed the birds were from separate flocks and include the following numbers and species observed along the upper beach line south of the Marine View Drive beach access:

11:15am-11:45am

200 Black-bellied Plovers
5 Semipalmated Plovers
10 Red Knots
14 Sanderlings
90+ Western Sandpipers
5 Dunlin
13 Short-billed Dowitchers
3 Marbled Murrelets

4pm-5:30pm

162 Black-bellied Plovers
14 Semipalmated Plovers
5 Ruddy Turnstones
320+ Sanderlings
180+ Western Sandpipers
19 Dunlin
9 Short-billed Dowitchers


Most noteworthy within these flocks were notable counts of Dunlin,which are normally quite rare in summer and a high count of 19 was noted during our evening visit to the location. Perhaps shorebirds numbers will increase during the upcoming weeks at this location,which is often most productive at high tide/and or during the late evening for probable roosting. Western and Least Sandpiper numbers remained fairly good at most locations with our first juvenile Least Sandpiper of the season noted at the Ocean Shores STP. Away from this location our main highlight of the day was a Manx Shearwater off the Ocean Shores Jetty at 10:45am,which is presumably the same individual that we encountered on the 19th of July and noted thereafter by several other observers. A generous scoping made from the tip of the Ocean Shores Jetty began at 9:30am with several key species noted including good numbers of Sooty Shearwaters that decreased in numbers through our visit flying further offshore,and continued good numbers of both Common Murres and Rhinoceros Auklets noted flying to and from presumed feeding grounds/nesting grounds. It wasn't until nearly the end of our visit that the Manx Shearwater was located with ample scoping made,as it was observed flying north of the jetty approximately 120 yards offshore then within 1 minute it returned south and made it's closest pass at about 40 yards offshore from the tip of the jetty and continued south into Grays Harbor until bird was lost due to poor lighting conditions,as it flew in the direction of a large,scattered seabird flock near the tip of the Westport Jetty. Our second main highlights of the day was up to 6 Snowy Plovers observed at the Oyhut Wildlife Area during our afternoon visit(accessed from the Ocean Shores STP)that included 3 adult males, 2 adult females, and 1 immature bird. Other notable species for the day included the following:

Red-throated Loon
5 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area(Ocean Shores Game Range)

Pacific Loon
42+ off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Brown Pelican
8 off the Ocean Shores Jetty
tw17 off the Marine View Drive beach access
10 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Brandt's Cormorant
38 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Green Heron
1 adult at Grand Canal(Ocean Shores)

Greater Scaup
3 at the Hoquiam STP

Lesser Scaup
7 at the Hoquiam STP

Black Scoter(presumably oversummering)
1 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Surf Scoter
4 off the Ocean Shores Jetty
16 at the Oyhut Wildlfe Area

White-winged Scoter
6 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Bufflehead(presumably oversummering birds)
2 females at the Hoquiam STP
1 female at Perkin's Pond(Ocean Shores)

Osprey
1 at the Hoquiam STP
1 near Perkin's Pond
1 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Peregrine Falcon
1 adult female at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Greater Yellowlegs
2 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Wandering Tattler
1 at the Ocean Shores Jetty

Marbled Godwit
2 at Damon Point

Black Turnstone
14 at the Ocean Shores Jetty(with 1 Ruddy Turnstone)

Surfbird
12 at the Ocean Shores Jetty(including 2 vocal birds)

Heermann's Gull
160+ at the Ocean Shores Jetty
300+ at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Marbled Murrelet
8 off the Ocean Shores Jetty
3 off the Marine View Drive beach access

Tufted Puffin
5 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Olive-sided Flycatcher
4 at Bill's Spit(Ocean Shores)

Pacific-slope Flycatcher
1 near Bill's Spit

"Streaked"Horned Lark
2 adult males at Damon Point

Western Scrub Jay
1 calling bird heard along Simpson Ave. at Hoquiam
1 along Hwy.12 at the Satsop River bridge


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net







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