Subject: Tokeland to Ocean Shores birding 9-19
Date: Sep 19 20:09:09 2004
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I birded from Tokeland to Ocean Shores,as we checked several areas between destinations although many areas were very slow. The weather was quite nice with only a few scattered rain showers compared to yesterday,so perhaps many of the species we encountered yesterday at Ocean Shores moved south or to other areas. Our main highlights of the day consisted of up to 2 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers observed together amongst a small flock of "peeps" and a few Pectoral Sandpipers at the Oyhut Wildlife Area at 2:25pm,then again at 2:45pm from the same location. Both Sharp-tailed Sandpipers were initially observed in flight,showing a whiter wing strip than up to 4 Pectoral Sandpipers amongst a flock of "peeps" and at times the visible rusty cap contrasting to the white supercillium was clearly visible followed by the clear buffy wash on the upperbreast compared to a more evenly streaked breast of Pectoral Sandpipers. Both birds continued on to an unknown location,then eventually were observed briefly again as we walked into flooded Salicornia fields. Both birds landed in dense Salicornia fields,as the Pectoral Sandpipers actively called then all the birds lifted and flew off again heading east towards Damon Point. We attempted to relocate the 2 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers from other locations including the Ocean Shores STP,Damon Pt. and other access locations within the Oyhut Wildlife Area,but were unable to relocate the birds. We briefly heard from other birders that up to 3 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers were observed from the Oyhut Wildlife Area before we arrived,but we were only able to observed two birds.

We were also able to relocate at least one juvenile Ruff amongst a flock of 3 Lesser Yellowlegs at the eastern portion of the Oyhut Wildlife Area bordering Damon Pt. and south of Marine View Drive(south of the large cement water tower). The Ruff was observed at 4:15pm during incoming tide and was also observed by other birders we ran into near the location. Overall shorebird conditions were far less productive compared to yesterday specifically from the Oyhut Wildlife Area,which may be possibly due to the much better weather.Other noteworthy sightings from the few locations we checked at Ocean Shores included the following:

Greater White-fronted Goose
10 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area
2 at the Ocean Shores Golf Course

Black Scoter
1 male at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Red-breasted Merganser
1 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Turkey Vulture
1 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area
3 along S.R.109 over Ocean City

Northern Harrier
5 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Cooper's Hawk
2 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Merlin
1 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area
1 at Damon Point

Peregrine Falcon
1 immature at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Black-bellied Plover
8 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Pacific Golden Plover
2 at Damon Pt.

Am.Golden Plover
1 at Damon Pt.

Semipalmated Plover
5 at Damon Point

Greater Yellowlegs
3 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Whimbrel
2 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Baird's Sandpiper
2 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Pectoral Sandpiper
14+ at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Long-billed Dowitcher
6 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

Mourning Dove
2 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area(Tonquin Ave. access location)

Lapland Longspur
1 at the Oyhut Wildlife Area


Earlier in the day en route to North Cove we stopped by Brady Loop Rd. at 10am and located the following species:

5 Sandhill Cranes(presumably part of the same group observed yesterday by Carol Boyer and Tim O'Brien,with this morning's birds being observed west of Foster Rd.)
2 Am.Kestrels
8 Pectoral Sandpipers(observed in partially flooded field west of Brady Loop Rd.)
3 Western Scrub Jays
25+ Vaux's Swifts
good numbers of Barn and Violet-green Swallows and Savannah Sparrow persist along this route along with small numbers of Golden and White-crowned Sparrows

Continuing onto North Cove up to 8 Great Egrets were spotted along S.R.105 at the Elk River Bridge at Bay City,then arriving at North Cove at 11am we scoped thoroughly through the gull flocks,but were unable to locate the Black-tailed Gull along with an additional visit after checking Tokeland on our way to Ocean Shores. A single Osprey was observed along S.R.105 at North Cove,which was our only one of the day.


Conditions at Tokeland were slow,but a few species of note were encountered including the following:

7 Turkey Vultures
1 Cooper's Hawk
1 Greater Yellowlegs
13 Willets
300+ Marbled Godwits
5 Vaux's Swifts
2 Rufous Hummingbirds
10 Red-breasted Nuthatches
2 Yellow Warblers

Our first species of the day began this morning with a Pacific-slope Flycatcher in our yard just before driving to North Cove.


Good birding,

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