Rob and Tweeters,

Spotted Sandpipers are generally a summer resident species in
Washington, and I would say that over 99% of them have normally left
the state by the end of September. They are generally regular, but
quite rare, on saltwater shorelines in winter. A check of Washington
Christmas Bird Counts at http://www.birdsource.org showed that in 6
of the last 10 years, fewer than 20 Spotted Sandpipers were reported
on CBCs in the entire state (e.g. 8 in 1993, 15 in 2002). The status
is early November is probably similar to that in late December

That's why I provided a few details on the Spotted Sandpiper that I
saw at the Mud Bay Road crossing of Eld Inlet on November 5. I feel
that it is better to provide some documentation on a bird which may
not need it, than to provide no documentation on a bird that does need
it.

However, it seems that I may have unwittingly stumbled onto the
hotspot for wintering Spotted Sandpipers in the state. The Olympia CBC
(which presumably includes Eld Inlet) has reported between 1 and 13
Spotted Sandpipers every year for the last 10 years, averaging about 5
or 6. (This does not include one count of 45 Spotties, which I suspect
is erroneous. Wintering Spotties are almost always seen as singles,
not in flocks).

So Spotted Sandpipers may be regular in winter around Olympia in a
local context, but they are still quite rare in a regional context.

I don't have a copy of the Thurston County checklist. If you or
someone else could provide me with one, or tell me how to get one, I'd
be grateful.

Wayne C. Weber
51-6712 Baker Road
Delta, BC V4E 2V3
contopus at telus.net



----- Original Message -----
From: Rob Saecker <rsaecker at thurston.com>
To: <contopus at telus.net>; <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Saturday, November 08, 2003 7:42 PM
Subject: Re: Census Count: Eld Inlet Mud Bay, Thurston County,
Washington on November 05, 2003


> At 1:23 AM +0000 11/8/03, contopus at telus.net wrote:
> >Location: Eld Inlet Mud Bay, Thurston County, Washington
> >
> >[4] Spotted Sandpiper-- unusual in November; seen well through
> > scope at about 150 feet, teetering on small island in the
middle
> > of the inlet
>
> Wayne,
>
> unusual why? A cursory look through my data shows Spotted Sandpiper
> on Eld Inlet (Frye Cove Park) every month of the year, and the
> Thurston County check list shows it as resident.
> --
> Rob Saecker
> rsaecker at thurston.com
>