Subject: Pacific Golden Plover at Ocean Shores
Date: Jul 31 20:01:01 2004
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded the Ocean Shores vicinity checking most of the familiar locations in search of shorebirds and general birding. We encountered 19 species of shorebirds,of which our main highlight was an alternate-plumaged Pacific Golden Plover observed along the ocean beaches between Driftwood Drive and Marine View Drive. The bird was quite wary and was observed alone,but we managed to obtain several photographs before it flew off towards the Oyhut Wildlife Area. Other noteworthy shorebirds species at Ocean Shores included a single Baird's Sandpiper at Damon Point, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs at the Ocean Shores STP, and 42+ Red-necked Phalaropes off the Ocean Shores Jetty. Our extensive visit by foot along the ocean beaches between Driftwood Drive and Butter Clam Street produced the highest concentrations and diversity of shorebird species during just after high tide with many of birds being observed roosting along the upper beach line,as well as foraging along the immediate shoreline despite beachcombers. Good numbers of Common Murres and Rhinoceros Auklets were the most abundant waterbird species observed in large groups in Grays Harbor,as well as off the Ocean Shores Jetty northward offshore along the ocean beaches and Brown Pelicans were also noted in good numbers from several locations. A few areas hosted low numbers of shorebirds such as Bill's Spit,which was the least productive stop at Ocean Shores and a walk to the Damon Point"pond" away from the Baird's Sandpiper produced small groups of Western Sandpipers. Most of shorebirds we observed today were juvenile birds(specifically "peeps"),with only a very small number of adults noted.As our previous visit to coastal areas on the 29th of July the weather today remained cloudy,but calm and skies cleared as we left Ocean Shores. On our way home we stopped by the Hoquiam STP,which hosted a few additional species to our day list. A list of highlights for the day observed at selected locations and times follows below:

Ocean Shores Jetty 10:20am-11:15am

1 Red-throated Loon
12 Sooty Shearwaters
78 Brown Pelicans
28 Surf Scoters
18 White-winged Scoters
1 Wandering Tattler
1 Ruddy Turnstone
11 Black Turnstones
17 Surfbirds
42+ Red-necked Phalaropes
850+ Heermann's Gulls
200+ California Gulls
33 Caspian Terns


Oyhut Wildlife Area/Ocean Shores STP 11:20am-12:30pm

2 Common Loons
135 Brown Pelicans
9 Northern Shovelers
14 Surf Scoters
1 Hooded Merganser
2 Turkey Vultures
1 Northern Harrier
2 Peregrine Falcons(1 adult,1 immature)
7 Semipalmated Plovers
3 Lesser Yellowlegs(2 at the Ocean Shores STP,1 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area)
84 Western Sandpipers
148 Least Sandpipers
3 Dunlin
1 Long-billed Dowitchers(Ocean Shores STP)
8 Red Crossbills


ocean beaches between Driftwood Drive and Butter Clam Street(accessed off of Ocean Shores Blvd.) 1:30pm-3:10pm

1 Pacific Loon
380+ Sooty Shearwaters
85 Brown Pelicans
9 Surf Scoters
15 White-winged Scoters
438 Black-bellied Plovers
1 Pacific Golden Plover
377 Semipalmated Plovers
2 Red Knots
345+ Sanderlings
400+ Western Sandpipers
5 Dunlin
225+ Heermann's Gulls
355+ California Gulls
102 Caspian Terns


Damon Point 3:20pm-3:50pm

26 Brown Pelicans
12 Semipalmated Plovers
345+ Western Sandpipers
1 Baird's Sandpiper
40 Heermann's Gulls
37 Ring-billed Gulls
78 California Gulls
63 Caspian Terns
14 Savannah Sparrows


Ocean Shores Golf Course 4:05pm

1 juvenile Pied-billed Grebe
1 Ring-necked Duck


Hoquiam STP 4:45pm-5pm

3 Green-winged Teal
1 Northern Pintail
2 Blue-winged Teal
3 Osprey(2 adults and 1 immature at a nestsite)
1 Spotted Sandpiper


Other species noted to and from destinations include the following:

Turkey Vulture
1 along S.R.109 east of Ocean Shores
1 along Hwy.12 west of Montesano
1 along Hwy.12 at Brady
1 along Hwy.8 near Summit Lake,Thurston Co.

Osprey
1 along Hwy.12 near Lake Aberdeen

Cooper's Hawk(last species of the day)
1 adult near Lakewood,Pierce Co.

Am.Kestrel
1 along Hwy.12 at Satsop
1 along Hwy.12 west of Brady

Western Scrub Jay
2 at Lakewood,Pierce Co.
2 along I-5 at Olympia
2 along Hwy.12 at Elma
1 along Hwy.12 at Brady