Hi Tweeters,

For those of you who don't want to read this entire e-mail, photos of the Common Eider, Bar-tailed Godwit, Franklin's Gull and a Willet are in the new photos folder on my website - the link is in the signature line.

I couldn't resist chasing the rarities this weekend. I left Yakima shortly after noon on Saturday and arrived at Willipa Bay north of Raymond at around 4:30. I stopped everywhere I saw gulls, hoping to pick out a wandering Black-tailed Gull. When I got to the group of birders impatiently waiting for it at North Cove, I found that it had not been seen Saturday. I left my cell phone number with Bob Morse, in case the gull showed itself, and went down to Tokeland.

I easily found the Franklin's Gull, thanks to Patrick Sullivan's directions and was about to get some photos. It was a very uncooperative gull -- every time I got set up to take a photo, it walked about ten feet towards me. I would back up, get set up again, and it walked towards me. When we got to the end of the beach, it would fly south about 100 feet. I did get some good photos of it, though.

Back at North Cove, the group had dwindled to three birders. Offshore nearly a half of a mile or so there was a sand island that was covered with gulls. A Bald Eagle flew over and several thousand gulls flew up. There was an actual cloud of gulls over that island. We speculated that the Black-tailed Gull was in that group. I gave up and headed to Midway and Bottle Beaches, after which I decided to go to Port Angeles.

Sunday morning on the way from Potlatch State Park to Port Angeles, I saw three Purple Martins in Hoodsport and nearly 100 Band-tailed Pigeons just north of Quilcene.

I arrived Sunday morning at Three Crabs and soon found the Bar-tailed Godwit among a group of birds that included two Marbled Godwits, some dowitchers, peeps and many gulls. I couldn't get close enough for nice photos but the ones I got are okay.

The Common Eider proved far to easy for a state bird. I saw it before I put the brakes on to park along Tumwater St. My sister and hubby, Sue and Warren Terrell, were there so after a long photo session, we headed together to Three Crabs. The godwit had moved to the west, so we went to the Oyster House. The views from there were quite long-range.

I saw two terrible car wrecks Sunday. This is just a reminder to leave early, drive slow and drive defensively so we'll all live to chase the next rarity that shows up in Washington.

Denny Granstrand
Yakima, WA


* Denny Granstrand *
* Yakima, WA *
* dgranstrand at charter.net *
bird photos on-line at:
http://osprey.bardill.net/gallery/