Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded or way from the Elma area to Tokeland covering several main areas in Grays Harbor and Pacific Cos. with several key highlights to mention,including 14 species of shorebirds. Our main highlights of the day began this morning with the lingering adult Loggerhead Shrike along Wenzel Slough Rd. near Satsop,then a single Lesser Yellowlegs amongst a flock of 6 Greater Yellowlegs at the Johns River WRA(accessed from S.R.105 between Ocosta and Markham). Our next main highlight of the day occurred during our extensive visit at Tokeland from 3-4:30pm during incoming tide,as we checked two main shorebird locations,which were both very productive. We noted our first Short-billed Dowitchers of the season in relatively good numbers along with several other shorebird species including up to 7 Long-billed Curlews observed from the south end of Graveyard Spit. As tide conditions decreased shorebirds began to forage closer to shore,especially noted at the Tokeland Marina with our highest shorebird densities observed and it appears that shorebird migration is underway in addition to several species being in near to full breeding plumage. On route back to the Brady Loop Rd. area we briefly checked conditions at Bottle Beach,but shorebird numbers were very few at that location. Our last area checked of the day was the Brady Loop Rd. complex,where we located three target species of the day that were missed during our morning visit including the lingering Rough-legged Hawk that continues along the western portion of Brady Loop Rd. Next, we relocated the injured Pink-footed Goose along with up to 3 Greater White-fronted Geese and a rather small flock of Canada Geese along Foster Rd.,which were all located during the morning by Doug and Pipper Watkins. Our last noteworthy species of the day was a calling Cassin's Vireo along the northern portion of Brady Loop Rd. east of Foster Rd.

We began the day along Wenzel Slough Rd. at 9:30am,where we joined Marv Breece as we all watched the cooperative Loggerhead Shrike that we observed at the same location that previously reported in all Tweeters postings. The bird favors bramble patches and fence post,which are readily viewable from the road. We also observed several other species at this location before we all headed to Brady Loop Rd. We checked along Foster Rd., where up to 25 Greater Yellowlegs were counted upon our arrival in a large,wet,grassy pasture along the northern portion of Foster Rd. We continued south along Foster Rd. and were soon joined by Doug and Pipper Watkins,who informed us they also observed the Loggerhead Shrike along Wenzel Slough Rd. and the Pink-footed Goose along Foster Rd. both earlier in the morning. We checked again along Foster Rd.,but were unable to locate the geese flock before we all went our separate ways. My mother and I continued west and made a short stop at the Hoquiam STP before continuing on towards Tokeland, as we made 3 stops along the way beginning at the Johns River WRA, along Ocosta Third Street near Bottle Beach and a short walk made at Midway Beach Rd. Conditions remained quite slow at times throughout the day,but a few locations were most productive during the last portion of the day beginning with a walk along the paved trail at the Johns River WRA. Our main highlights at this location included the Lesser Yellowlegs, 8 Greater Yellowlegs, 38 Long-billed Dowitchers, 1 male Eurasian Wigeon and 2 pair of Cinnamon Teal. Next, we made a short walk south of the end of Midway Beach Rd. produced a pair of Snowy Plovers, 4 "Streaked"Horned Larks, and 48 Am.Pipits. We checked Tokeland during incoming tide,as shorebird numbers and diversity were the greatest of the day from both the Tokeland Marina and the south end of Graveyard Spit(accessed from 7th Street). Away from shorebirds we noted good numbers of waterbirds species viewable from the Tokeland Marina within Willapa Bay consisting of Horned Grebes,Double-crested Cormorants,Red-breasted Mergansers,and several other species in lesser numbers. A list of additional highlights noted during the day at selected locations included the following:

Pacific Loon
1 at Tokeland(with good numbers of Common Loons)

Red-necked Grebe
5 at Tokeland

Cinnamon Teal
1 pair at the Hoquiam STP
2 pair at the John River WRA

Eurasian Wigeon
1 at the John River WRA
1 at Tokeland

Turkey Vulture
6 along Wenzel Slough Rd. near Satsop
5 along Brady Loop Rd.
2 along Hwy.12 west of Montesano
2 at Tokeland
1 along Hwy.12 at Elma

Osprey
1 along Hwy.12 at Elma(Vance Creek Co.Park)
1 pair observed at a nestsite along Wenzel Slough Rd.
1 along Hwy.12 at Montesano

Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 adult along Wenzel Slough Rd.
1 along S.R.109 east of Markham

Cooper's Hawk
1 along Foster Rd.(Brady Loop Rd. complex)
1 along S.R.105 north of Grayland
1 along S.R.105 north of North Cove

Am.Kestrel
4 within the Brady Loop Rd. complex

Virginia Rail
4 calling birds along Ocosta Third Street
3 calling birds along the western portion of Brady Loop Rd.

Sora
1 along Ocosta Third Street

Black-bellied Plover
9 along Foster Rd.(Brady Loop Rd. complex)
88 at Tokeland
34 at Bottle Beach

Greater Yellowlegs
3 along Wenzel Slough Rd.
25 along Foster Rd.
8 at the Johns River WRA
4 at Tokeland

Willet
7 at Tokeland

Whimbrel
11 at Tokeland

Marbled Godwit
540+ at Tokeland

Western Sandpiper
6+ at Tokeland

Least Sandpiper
9 at Midway Beach Rd.

Dunlin
875+ at Tokeland

Short-billed Dowitcher
125+ at Tokeland

Wilson's Snipe
35 along Wenzel Slough Rd.
8 along Foster Rd.
3 along Ocosta Third Street
1 at Midway Beach Rd.

Black-legged Kittiwake
1 at Tokeland

Caspian Tern
48+ at Tokeland

Band-tailed Pigeon(increasing numbers)
125+ noted along Keys Rd. and nearby Wenzel Slough Rd.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow
6 along Wenzel Slough Rd.
1 at the Johns River WRA
2 at Tokeland

Western Scrub Jay
3 along Brady Loop Rd.

Orange-crowned Warbler
1 at Bottle Beach

"Sooty"Fox Sparrow
1 singing bird at Bottle Beach

Purple Finch
3 along Wenzel Slough Rd.
4 at the Johns River WRA



Our mammal highlights of the day began with a single River Otter at the Johns River WRA and good numbers of Harbor Seals at Tokeland within Willapa Bay.


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Tacoma,WA
godwit at worldnet.att.net