Hi Tweeters -
Today I made a loop around some of the usual spots in Grays Harbor County:

First, I started at a bit before dawn up in the hills above
Elma/Satsop, looking for Mountain Quail. This was my third time
trying this road since Tim O'Brian mentioned the location about a
month ago. Today, I got lucky and had decent looks at a Mountain
Quail sitting feeding in the middle of the road.
Directions: Exit the highway at Shouweiler Rd. [just w of Elma, look
for a golf course sign], turn left at the first stopsign [I think
this keeps you on Shouweiler], then turn right onto Newman Ck. Rd.
Follow NCR to the end and then turn left onto the logging road
[A-line or A-2300 rd, depending on the signs]. Today, the MOQU were
about 5 miles up the road, though on my other tries I've had glances
of flushing quail/grouse at several other spots. [Delorme, p 61 D-5]

Next, I headed out to Bottle Beach for the couple of hours leading up
to high tide. Lots of shorebirds there:
Pacific Golden Plovers - a few, with at least one in really
stand-outish golden juv plum.
Black-bellied Plovers - 250-300, some molting.
Semipalmated Plovers - only a few [<10]
Pectoral Sandpipers - a couple lurking
Ruddy Turnstone - 1
Black Turnstone - 1
Long-billed Dowitcher - one only
Western Sandpipers - most numerous, 1000+
Least Sandpipers - in small numbers , maybe 50 or so
Sanderlings - 300+
Dunlin - ~50
Greater Yellowlegs - one only
[Delorme p.58 A/B-3, WA ABA, p. 65]
Along the walk to & from the beach, there were several Fox Sparrows
about. Also, along the scrub between the beach & the trees I had a
MacGillavrey's Warbler, a Downy, Pine Siskin, Savannah Sparrow, & GC
Sparrows.

Next, I moved on to Ocean Shores -
The Water Treatment Plant was pretty empty, except for a couple dozen
American Pipits in the grass nearby & on the road.

At the Marina by Damon Point, a couple Black Scoters were swimming
about. Also, a Great Egret was just offshore by Damon Pt. SP parking
area.

And at the jetty, I saw:
Black Turnstone - 8-10
Surfbirds - 5
Wandering Tattler - 2
Parasitic Jaeger - 2

On the way home, mostly to delay the traffic slog, I stopped at Luhr
Beach [in Thurston Co].
No, Pelican, but a few other things:
Black-bellied Plovers - 6 over on the NWR shore,
Horned Grebe - many [maybe with a couple distant Eared mixed in, but
too distant for me]
Western Grebe - 1
Common Loon 2
Pacific Loon - 2
White-winged Scoters - 2

A beautiful day to be out there - hope it holds for the weekend too -

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA












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