Keith Brady and I made a few stops in Grays Harbor today for seabirds and
shorebirds. We started earlyish at Driftwood Drive at Ocean Shores (outer
beaches) and saw some young COMMON MURRES with their parents
nearby...looking like smaller alcid species. The usual Heermann's,
California and Western Gulls and Brown Pelicans.

At the jetty we saw good numbers of WANDERING TATTLER, BLACK TURNSTONE,
SURFBIRD, and one RUDDY TURNSTONE. Loads of C. Murre but only 4 SOOTY
SHEARWATER flew past. The best bird here was one lone NORTHERN FULMAR
swimming about off the jetty.

The sewage treatment ponds were fairly quiet with some Shovelers and Least
and Spotted Sandpiper.

We ran into Marv Breece at Bottle Beach about an hour and a half before high
tide. Here we saw good numbers of Western Sandpiper (quite a few in basic
plumage - it sounds like Steve M. noticed the same though we had far fewer
in this plumage), a handful of Least Sandpipers, and bigger numbers of RUDDY
TURNSTONE than a few days ago. There were 5 RED KNOT (very drab basic
plumage) within the Dowitcher flock. Keith picked out one BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
in with the peeps and we got to see at least two basic plumage DUNLIN as
well. One WHIMBREL and the usual B/BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS to
round out the list.

A stop on the way out and back at Mud Bay did not produce the GREAT EGRET.
There were Least Sandpiper and Greater Yellowlegs present though. Also the
other day Steve Nord and I saw a flushed GREEN HERON fly over the road here.

Jason Paulios
Jpaulios at earthlink.net
Olympia, WA