Tweeters:

I too was among the many who took the trip to PA harbor yesterday to see the
COM. EIDER, which was easy. It was a regular birder's convention there and
at the Dungeness' Three Crabs Restaurant, good to be amongst friends old and
new. Seems like about as exciting an early August for birds as we've had in
a while.

Yesterday was the right day to be at the Three Crabs Restaurant and
Dungeness Oyster House near Sequim. Large numbers of gulls, Canada Geese,
and the common shorebirds were present. Many got looks (some of us not very
definitive ones) at the BAR-TAILED GODWIT, especially at the Dungeness
Oyster House. About all I could make out was the shorter legs & bill than
the 3 Marbleds it was with, but I guess others had nice looks in flight and
without glare at the Three Crabs. It seems to me that it has been many
years since Clallam had BT Godwit, but in the Stan & Dory Smith days of the
70s-80s we had a few scattered records from the Spit and D. River mouth.

Highlights for the day, including 21 shorebird sp between PA and Sequim:

Red-necked Grebe 1 (oversummering off Graysmarsh public beach)
Horned Grebe 3 (same)
Pacific Golden-Plover 3 juv. (near Three Crabs)
Red Knot 1 (Dungeness Oyster House w/dowitchers)
Pectoral Sandpiper 5 (horse pond near Three Crabs)
Baird's Sandpiper 1-2 (Three Crabs)
Semipalmated Sandpiper 2 (Three Crabs)
STILT SANDPIPER 3 (one juv., 2 ad. on back horse pond, seen w/others)
Red-necked Phalarope 1 (Helen's Pond near Three Crabs)

Other than these, I heard reports of one-two other notable shorebird species
but will leave it to those observers to report out. I also got excited
about a flyover PURPLE MARTIN near Three Crabs, only to have Bob Boekelheide
alert me to the fact that here too, there are now martin houses doing their
job. I think that until this development, recent county records have been
close to non-existent.

But the least expected bird of the day for me was a bird that was most
probably a male TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD (!?) seen at about 2 p.m. For the
record, I only mentioned it to Gary Bletsch and mentioned that I was
deliberating on an "unusual blackbird" to 'ol Bob B. There is a roving
flock of Red-wings, of various ages and most having molted or molting into
fresh fall plumage, between Helen's Pond and Three Crabs; the bird was seen
in this group. I only saw it in flight, from about 30 ft. initially looking
from the Helen's Pond pull-off; it flew toward Three Crabs and then circled
around, I lost it in the sky on the south side of the horse pasture, but it
might still be around. Still, when I returned around 4:30, I was unable to
relocate it.

The bird had very distinct dark crimson shoulder patches in flight, with
equally obvious wide, sharply-contrasting pure white (and light buffy-white)
median coverts. Given the brevity of the observation, I was therefore
unable to make any serious study/comparison of bill shape, wing extension,
etc. But the bird instantly caught my attention and I followed it as long
as I could; I have alot of previous experience and am convinced this was
not a Red-wing. Anyway, people in the area should keep their eyes open. I
am well aware of the fact that on our side of the Cascades, reports north of
the Portland, OR-Vancouver, WA area are nil; if I'm not mistaken, however,
Gene reported one a year or two ago from inland King County, Carnation I
think.

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com

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