Hi Tweeters:

Sorry for the late post. On Saturday, May 15, 2004, I made my third
attempt at a Washington State Big Day. In past years, I?ve done this
?solo?, with my personal best total of 184 species last year. This
year, I was joined by Ry Thompson and Daryn Smith. Overall we had a fun
time, and saw some great birds and awesome scenery, but we ran out of
daylight and luck on the east side where we ?missed? a number of ?sure
thing? species.
Our grand total was 181 species. We began at 12:05am and concluded at
9:26pm, when we realized that, at best, we could only hope for 4-5 more
species. We traveled a total of 687.1 miles by car, and about 1 mile by
foot.
We did not see that many rare birds, but I?ll mention a few
notable species below:
First summer male Yellow-headed Blackbird at the Ocean Shores Marina.
Again, not a rare bird, but seemingly out of place at OS.
Golden-Plover species (probably Pacific) at Bottle Beach.
3 Snowy Plovers on the sand at Midway Beach.
4 first ?cycle? Black-legged Kittiwakes resting on the beach at Midway
Beach.
Singing Fox Sparrow, Red-naped Sapsucker, and Townsend?s Solitaire at
White Pass.

The weirdest bird of the day was at Lower Crab Creek. As we drove up to
the first pond on the left after turning on to Lower Crab Creek from
Beverly, we saw a pure white bird flying over the pond. Forster?s Tern
was my first thought, but once we saw it with our binoculars, it turns
out to be an escapee Cockatiel!! (not included in the 181!). I?m not
sure how long this ?falcon bait? will be around, but if anyone is over
that way, be aware!
Next year, I hope to have better luck scouting for owls as
well as ?tweak? the route a little bit so I can make a run for 200.

Happy migration,
David Ward
Centralia, WA
dwardmd at ualtd.com