----- Original Message -----
From: Ruth Sullivan
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2003 12:28 PM
Subject: WOS Convention at Long Beach


Hello Tweets,

My mother and I enjoyed another WOS Convention this year at Long Beach in Pacific Co. with three field trips that we led on September 19th-21st. The biggest downfall was the overall lack of large numbers of shorebirds and shorebird diversity noted at many locations,but overall fall passerine movements seemed the most notable. The weather was very good during the entire WOS Convention with mostly sunny skies some northerly winds at times,but it didn't seem to hinder any birding. My mother and I enjoyed each field trip that offered different species each trip with a few highlights each day. The best highlight of the entire convention away from birding was the very informing shorebird presentation given by Dennis Paulson on the 20th,which we both praise highly and we expect that the many in attendance would have too. We also enjoyed our overnight stay at our hotel and the food at the convention banquet was good too.We began the convention on the 19th with a trip made from Westport to Long Beach with a total of 90 species and 8 vehicles of participants. The day began with one of two Great Horned Owls observed at Westhaven State Park in Westport at 6am,but in general Westport was quite slow except for a flock of 250 Marbled Godwits near the Westport Coast Guard station,as they roosted during high tide.The main highlights of this driving trip included a single Rufous Hummingbird at Bottle Beach,a single Lapland Longspur and MacGillivray's Warbler at Midway Beach Rd., a single juvenile White-tailed Kite at the Raymond Airport and a single Lesser Yellowlegs observed amongst 7 Greater Yellowlegs along Hwy.101 at Bay Center among other noted species during the entire day.We searched many of the main birding locations along the route and actually had a great assortment of species although a few areas hosted little diversity. On the 20th my mother and I led the Long Leadbetter field trip with the most hiking of 3 days that was made from the north parking lot at Leadbetter Point State Park Natural Area and continuing along the "yellow trail" to the ocean beaches,then walking north a short ways then back and birding the inner bay side and ending the day south to Oysterville for the Tropical Kingbird that was originally found and located by Ollie Oliver,but advertised by other birders that we ran into on the ocean beaches at Leadbetter Point. Our group of 9 birders along with other birders present during our visit enjoyed great views of the Tropical Kingbird as it actively foraged in an open field just east of the Oysterville church,but a search of this exact area did not produce this bird the following day on our Short Leadbetter field trip. On the Long Leadbetter field trip we encountered a total of 73 species with a few additional highlights noted away from the Tropical Kingbird,including 1 Pink-footed Shearwater observed briefly during our arrival to the ocean beaches amongst several nearby Sooty Shearwaters for good comparison,mainly with flight and contrast comparisons. Up to 3 Snowy Plovers were also noted north of the "yellow trail"entrance along the ocean beaches,which was a highlight for most participants,as was a single adult light-morph Parasitic Jaeger observed harassing up to 4 Heermann's Gulls and eventually capturing food from one of the birds,which was quite a show just off the large breakers offshore from the mainland. We had a very good assortment of passerine movement beginning from the north parking lot and extending during our morning walk along the entire "yellow trail",including a single Warbling Vireo and Wilson's Warbler among other songbird species that were noted in fairly good numbers. Our return arrival back to the inner bay side of the "yellow trail" produced up to 2 American Bitterns that were flushed from a reedy salt marsh,as in addition we watched an adult Peregrine Falcon pursuing vast numbers of shorebirds within Willapa Bay to the east during incoming tide,which were most likely Western Sandpipers with other species possibly mixed in. On the 21st my mother and I led the Short Leadbetter field trip with a total of 81 species and 9 participants. We began in Oysterville where we scanned the open mudflats in poor lighting and due to the tide conditions NO shorebirds were noted until we arrived back at the same location a few hours later followed by an additional visit that ended the trip at 2pm. During the trip were checked the general Oysterville area,as well as the outer beach area west of Oysterville and the Willapa Interpretive Center at Nahcotta(south of Oysterville). A visit to the outer beaches west of Oysterville produced a single adult light-morph Parasitic Jaeger followed by a dark-morph Pomarine Jaeger,as we carefully scoped the open ocean from the beach trailhead with good lighting conditions. We had a small but good diversity of species just south of the Oysterville Church during the morning including a Sharp-shinned Hawk(with probably the same individual seen later in the day further north in Oysterville),2 Red-breasted Sapsuckers visiting tree"wells",up to 3 Anna's Hummingbirds present in two locations and a single Cliff Swallow that was noted near the Oysterville Oyster Farms.

An itinerary of other highlights observed during the entire WOS Convention follow below by selected days and locations:

September 19th,2003

Westport,Grays Harbor Co.

3+ Sooty Shearwaters
125+ Brown Pelicans
250+ Marbled Godwits

S.R.105 at Bay City(Elk River),GH

2 Great Egrets

Bottle Beach,GH

35+ Black-bellied Plovers
8 Semipalmated Plovers
7 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Rufous Hummingbird
5 Barn Swallows
1 Yellow Warbler
4 Common Yellowthroats
3 Lincoln's Sparrows(mixed amongst good numbers of Golden-crowned,White-crowned,Fox and Song Sparrows)
7 Purple Finches

Midway Beach Rd.,Pacific Co.(PA)

1 Sharp-shinned Hawk(observed just north of Midway Beach Rd. along S.R.105)
1 Hutton's Vireo
1 MacGillivray's Warbler
15 "Streaked"Horned Larks
1 Lapland Longspur

S.R.105 at North Cove,PA

1 Western Grebe
2 Turkey Vultures
7 Red Crossbills

Tokeland,PA

17 Horned Grebes
8 Turkey Vultures
1 Northern Harrier
1 Merlin
13 Willets
3 Whimbrel
1 Marbled Godwit
1 Least Sandpiper
12 Caspian Terns
1 Pileated Woodpecker

Raymond Airport,PA

3 Turkey Vultures
1 White-tailed Kite
2 Northern Harriers
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 Yellow Warbler
5 Common Yellowthroats

Bay Center,PA

8 "Dusky"Canada Geese
4 Turkey Vultures
7 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Lesser Yellowlegs
2 Long-billed Dowitchers
1 Red-necked Phalarope


September 20th,2003

Leadbetter Point State Park Natural Area,PA

1 Pink-footed Shearwater
10+ Sooty Shearwaters
1 Western Grebe
2 Am.Bitterns
2 Greater Scaup
5 Northern Harriers
2 Peregrine Falcons
8 Black-bellied Plovers
3 Snowy Plovers
24 Semipalmated Plovers
1 Parasitic Jaeger
2 Band-tailed Pigeons
25+ Barn Swallows
6 Hutton's Vireos
1 Warbling Vireo
9 Orange-crowned Warblers
7 Yellow Warblers
1 Yellow-rumped Warbler
8 Black-throated Gray Warblers
1 Townsend's Warblers
4 Common Yellowthroats
1 Wilson's Warbler
1 Purple Finch

Oysterville,PA

1 Northern Harrier
1 Merlin
67 Black-bellied Plovers
8 Dunlin
10+ Short-billed Dowitchers
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Tropical Kingbird



September 21st,2003

Oysterville,PA

1 Horned Grebe
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
95 Black-bellied Plovers
20 Red Knots
1 Sanderling
27 Western Sandpipers
10 Least Sandpipers
1 Dunlin
14 Short-billed Dowitchers
8+ Long-billed Dowitchers
3 Anna's Hummingbirds
2 Red-breasted Sapsuckers
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Cliff Swallow
2 Orange-crowned Warblers
3 Yellow Warblers
2 Townsend's Warblers
1 Common Yellowthroat

While watching shorebirds at Oysterville during our afternoon visit we witnessed the feat of a Western Sandpiper that was taken by an adult Glaucous-winged/Western Gull. The Western Sandpiper was somehow attached to a clam,then the gull came along and snatched the bird up,then swallowed in alive whole with nearly one swallo,as many observers watched this behavior,which was a first for my mother and I and probably many other observers. The entire incident probably only lasted a few seconds,but was noteworthy.

Nahcotta,PA

1 Northern Harrier
7 Black Turnstones
1 Caspian Tern
5 Barn Swallows
5 Am.Pipits

Oysterville Rd.,PA(west of Oysterville)

1 Merlin
1 Common Yellowthroat

ocean beach area(north of Oysterville Rd.)

8 Western Grebes
9+ Sooty Shearwaters
1 Pomarine Jaeger
1 Parasitic Jaeger
1 Common Yellowthroat

Mammal highlights of note during the WOS Convention included a single Coyote at the Raymond Airport on the 19th and 2 Coyotes and 5-6 River Otters at the Leadbetter Point State Park Natural Area on the 20th.


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net