Subject: [Tweeters] Black Oystercatcher at Ocean Shores
Date: Nov 21 19:16:05 2004
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded the Ocean Shores area with additional stops made at other nearby areas,as weather remained quite nice and calm throughout the day. Our main highlight was a single Black Oystercatcher observed during our morning visit at the Ocean Shores Jetty,which was our first personal record for Ocean Shores. The bird was observed at the tip of the jetty,as we were counting the congregation of "rockbirds",as we watched it flush up in the crashing waves as well as perched amongst the "rockbirds". The bird eventually flushed up over the jetty,where we relocated it flying over Grays Harbor heading south towards Westport. It was a great sighting,although we do know other records from other observers from this location. Secondly, a single female Barrow's Goldeneye was observed at the base of Damon Point in North Bay for a noteworthy record of this species.Our third highlight of the day was a single Northern Pygmy Owl being harassed by a mobbing flock of passerines at Griffiths-Priday State Park at Copalis,which was our third coastal Northern Pygmy Owl in less than a month. The Northern Pygmy Owl remained very nervous by several agitated Red-breasted Nuthatches and other songbirds,as we watched it in our spotting scope atop an fairly short evergreen tree. The bird remained for several minutes before dropping down into thick cover,as did the mobbing flock of songbirds.

Overall birding was slightly slow at Ocean Shores and shorebird numbers were very limited to the Oyhut Wildlife Area. Foggy conditions prevailed until we arrived at the Hoquiam STP with clearing to partly cloudy conditions the remainder of the day with very calm seas off the Ocean Shores Jetty. Our first main stop of the day was made at the Hoquiam STP,then continuing onto Ocean Shores,where we checked several key areas until 1pm before heading north to the Copalis area. On our way home we made a few stops beginning along Brady Loop Rd. and along Wenzel Slough Rd. to Vance Creek Co. Park. Our first good species of the day was a Great Egret noted at Vance Creek Co. Park near Elma,as it foraged in fairly thick fog along the shoreline immediately west of the restroom area and allowed some limited photographs to be taken of it. The bird was again observed upon our arrival back to the location on our way home at 4:30pm,so perhaps it may linger for others to see at this inland location.

A list of our main highlights of the day at selected times and locations include the following:

Vance Creek Co. Park 9:10am-9:20am,4:30pm

1 Great Egret
1 Western Scrub Jay

Hoquiam STP/Bowerman Basin Airport 10am-10:30am

74 Canvasbacks
38 Ruddy Ducks
1 Common Goldeneye
2 Northern Harriers
1 Rough-legged Hawk
1 Am.Kestrel
3 adult Peregrine Falcons
3 Virginia Rails(heard only)
1 Least Sandpiper

Ocean Shores Golf Course 10:50am,1pm

15 Greater White-fronted Geese
58 "Cackling"Canada Geese(including 18 birds of the "Dusky" form)
2 Sharp-shinned Hawks

Ocean Shores Jetty 11:10am-11:30am

7 Pacific Loons
1 Brown Pelican
1 Black Oystercatcher
15 Black Turnstones
87 Surfbirds
20 Rock Sandpipers
1 Western Meadowlark

Oyhut Wildlife Area(accessed behind the Ocean Shores STP) 11:35am-12:15pm

1 Red-throated Loon
1 Great Egret
1 pair of Harlequin Ducks
1 Black Scoter
4 Northern Harriers
2 Ring-necked Pheasants
5 Black-bellied Plovers
1 Greater Yellowlegs
15 Sanderlings
2 Least Sandpipers
24 Dunlin
1 Hermit Thrush
35+ Yellow-rumped"Myrtle"Warblers
10 Golden-crowned Sparrows


Damon Point 12:30pm

25 "Black"Brant
5 Common Goldeneyes
1 female Barrow's Goldeneye
4 Black-bellied Plovers
20 Sanderlings
15 Dunlin

Griffiths-Priday State Park(Copalis) 1:20pm-2:15pm

8 Greater White-fronted Geese
1 Northern Pygmy Owl
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Red-breasted Sapsucker
5 Varied Thrush
7 Yellow-rumped"Myrtle"Warblers
15 Golden-crowned Sparrows(with 1 White-crowned Sparrow,"Sooty"Fox Sparrows and Spotted Towhees)

Brady Loop Rd. 3:45pm-4:15pm

44 Tundra Swans
6 Trumpeter Swans
2 Northern Harriers
2 Cooper's Hawks
1 Rough-legged Hawk
3 Am.Kestrels
1 Merlin
4 Wilson's Snipe
1 Red-breasted Sapsucker
2 Western Scrub Jays
55+ Am.Pipits
4 Western Meadowlarks


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Fircrest,WA
godwit at worldnet.att.net