Hello Tweets,

Yesterday(May 17th)Keith Brady and my mother and I birded portions of Grays Harbor,Thurston and Pacific Cos.,as my mother and I conducted our annual Birdathon and the day overall was a very exceptional,intense and worthwhile day of birding,although the day began very poorly in the Capitol Forest at 2am,as we intently searched for any owl species,but due to the very windy conditions at times NO owls could be located. Overall the beginning of our day began very slowly,as we attempted also for Mountain Quail near Capitol Peak in Thurston Co.,but the windy conditions turned even more fierce along with drifting clouds so NO Mountain Quail were heard or seen,so we continued our way down back to S.R.8 and birded mainly by ear adding our first 25 species of the day,as winds continued nearly all the way down the forest road. Our day only improved from that point,as we continued onto the Brady Loop Rd. area and onto Ocean Shores,where undoubtedly the best species of the day was encountered being an adult breeding plumaged CURLEW SANDPIPER observed briefly at 9am with 2 Short-billed Dowitchers,but very well only by my mother at the Ocean Shores STP,as Keith and I thoroughly scoped the Ocean Shores Jetty. We were unable to relocate the bird after some searching was made in the direction the bird flew after my mother observed it and noted most of the main key field marks,as well as heard the bird call. Unfortunately NO photos were obtained of the Curlew Sandpiper,but the bird was seen well enough and the bird could still remain in the general Ocean Shores Game Range/Damon Point area,upon further searching that could be made by other birders. Our day continued very good from Ocean Shores,as we continued onto Bottle Beach during incoming tide then continuing as far south as Tokeland,then working our way north to Westport,where our second best highlight of the day was encountered with a single adult Am.Avocet that was observed and photographed resting along the shores of the inner cove bordered by Westhaven State Park,then later photographed and remained until we left the location. Continuing east we headed back with a return trip along the Brady Loop Rd. complex and encountered our third main highlight of the day with 2 adult breeding plumaged Am.Golden Plovers in the freshly plowed field west of the intersection of Brady Loop Rd. and Foster Rd. These birds were well studied at fairly close range as well as photographed adding to our exciting day of birding. We ended our day in Thurston Co. by visiting three key locations before 8pm including the Nisqually NWR,Luhr Beach,and near the "old" Lacey Clear-cut locating several species and ending our day with a total of 151 species,as we could have very well have spent the remainder of the day at Ocean Shores searching for the Curlew Sandpiper,but decided to continue our day as planned on route. Although the Curlew Sandpiper was only seen my mother well all had a very exciting day,despite getting NO owls along with missing a few key species such as Am.Coot and Wilson's Snipe among a few other species.We also managed locate 9 species of mammals during the day including a 3 Grays Whales and at least one unidentified dolphin/porpoise species off the Ocean Shores Jetty. A list of other key notable highlights of the day included at the following locations:

Horned Grebe
2 off Luhr Beach

Eared Grebe
2 off Luhr Beach

Western Grebe
1 off the Ocean Shores Jetty
1 along Hwy.12 at Vance Creek Co Park near Elma

Sooty Shearwater
1 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Brown Pelican
60+ off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Greater White-fronted Goose
44 along Foster Rd.(Brady Loop Rd. complex)

Redhead
1 male lingering at the Hoquiam STP

Bufflehead
2 females at the Hoquiam STP
1 female at Tokeland
2 pair off Luhr Beach

Turkey Vulture
many noted during the day,but notable were 1 over the Ocean Shores Game Range and 1 over Graveyard Spit near Tokeland

Osprey
1 pair at a nestsite along Hwy.12 at Montesano
1 at the Hoquiam STP
1 along Hwy.12 at Vance Creek Co. Park

Cooper's Hawk
1 near Lacey

Peregrine Falcon
1 at the Ocean Shores Game Range

Am.Kestrel
1 along Ocosta Third Street

Snowy Plover
1 at the Ocean Shores Game Range(accessed from the Ocean Shores STP)
2 at Midway Beach Rd.

Greater Yellowlegs
13 along Foster Rd.
2 near Bill's Spit(Ocean Shores)
2 at Tokeland
1 at the Nisqually NWR

Lesser Yellowlegs
1 along Foster Rd.

Willet
1 at Tokeland

Wandering Tattler
3 at the Ocean Shores Jetty
10 at the Westport Jetty

Spotted Sandpiper
1 at the Ocean Shores STP
5+ near the "old" Lacey Clear-cut

Whimbrel
17 along Foster Rd.
6 at Bottle Beach
1 at Damon Point
25+ near Bill's Spit
48 at Tokeland
50+ at Westport(observed flying north from Westhaven S.P. out over Grays Harbor)
20+ along S.R.105 at the Johns River

Long-billed Curlew
28+ near Bill's Spit

Marbled Godwit
80+ at Tokeland

Black Turnstone(unusual location)
1 at the Ocean Shores STP

Red Knot
40 at Damon Point
85+ at Bottle Beach

Short-billed Dowitcher
2 at the Ocean Shores STP
25 at Bottle Beach

Long-billed Dowitcher
5 along Foster Rd.
28+ along Ocosta Third Street
2 at Tokeland

Red-necked Phalarope
48+ off the Ocean Shores Jetty
36 at the Ocean Shores STP
72+ along Ocosta Third Street
1 at Westport

Parasitic Jaeger
2 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Bonaparte's Gull
4+ off the Ocean Shores Jetty
105+ at the Ocean Shores Game Range
1 at Damon Point
300+ at Tokeland
5 off Luhr Beach

Heermann's Gull
1 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Black-legged Kittiwake
35+ off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Common Tern
58+ off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Anna's Hummingbird
1 actively calling bird on presumed territory near the "old" Lacey Clear-cut

Red-breasted Sapsucker
1 flying along S.R.105 near Markham

Olive-sided Flycatcher
1 pair near Bill's Spit

Purple Martin
1 female at the Schouwelier Rd. wetland near Elma(unusual location)
10+ at Luhr Beach

Western Scrub Jay
1 along Hwy.12 near Satsop
1 along Hwy.12 near Brady

Am.Pipit
1 at the Ocean Shores STP

Cassin's Vireo
1 actively calling bird near the "old" Lacey Clear-cut

Hermit Warbler
good numbers heard only north of Capitol Peak along Rock Candy Mtn. Rd.

Townsend's Warbler
1 north of Capitol Peak

MacGillivray's Warbler
1 observed along lower Rock Candy Mtn. Rd.

Chipping Sparrow
5 near the "old" Lacey Clear-cut

Lincoln's Sparrow
1 along Brady Loop Rd.

Bullocks' Oriole
1 male at the Nisqually NWR


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net







































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