Hey, Tweeters. On Sat and Sun, my husband and I spent two days birding in the Tokeland area, staying at the charming, but basic Tokeland Hotel. (Antiques in every room and in the case of Rm 1 that may have included the mattress.) In spite of our usual late start (9 a.m.) we couldn't resist a stop at Nisqually to walk down the trail from the Visitor Center to McAllister Creek. Since it is dry for most of the way on both sides of the trail, it was pretty quiet. The most interesting birds were a pair of Western Wood Pewees near the T by the creek. But on the way back, we saw a bird on the gravel trail that, without a guidebook in hand, neither of us could i.d. at the time. It was about 11 a.m. near the area where there are two sets of trees on either side of the trail, and the bird allowed us to approach as close as 30-40 ft. while it picked at the gravel and bobbed continuously. My husband was holding out for a juvie Amer. Pipt, but I didn't think so. We had long scope!
views and plenty of time for me to make field notes listing the buffy breast, light eyeline, black tail with narrow, white terminal band, and the white rump patch seen in flight. It flew once when some walkers approached, and again when we finally left it, both times returning to the center of the trail. My plan at the time, was to call Dennis P. or Brian Bell to discuss this bird after we rt'd home, but it was confirmed the next day as the wheatear by birders who "travel with technology." The Nt'l Geo drawing isn't good, as the bird appears more stocky than the tall, bobbing guy we saw. The Sibleys drawing of the adult nonbreeding female is close, except that the edging on the wing feathers was quite bright. We are wondering how many others saw it, and are sorry we didn't make a report, but we are "no-tech" travelers!

We had a great weekend at Tokeland and saw the Hudsonian Godwit there, the Ruff at Johns River, and a breeding plumaged Pacific Golden Plover at Bottle Beach. We tried 4 times for the BT Gull at North Cove--the Sullivans had it on Sat at 5:30 p.m.--but it they couln't relocate it when we all rt'd to the overlook. The late aft. sun is wicked there, by the way. It was an excellent weekend all told!!

Penny Koyama, Bothell
plkoyama at verizon.net