Yesterday, Saturday, April 23rd, my wife and I led a Kitsap Audubon birding
trip to the Sequim area. We logged 66 species, in spite of an 11 a.m.low
tide. The most notable sighting was a gray whale cavorting near the beach
in Discovery Bay at the Gardner boat launch. The other was a pair of Western
Kingbirds on the phone wire near the entrance to Marilyn Nelson Park on Port
Wlilliams Road. At the 3-Crabs Restaurant area we had a nice assortment of
shorebirds, including full-plumage Black-bellied plovers, Least Sandpipers,
Western Sandpipers, Dunlins, Sanderlings and a Caspian Tern. At the horse
ponds we saw dozens of Brown-headed Cowbirds and a couple of soaring Turkey
Vultures, while California Quail called from the bushes across the street.
At John Wayne Marina, we had great looks at Marbled Murrelets, Rhinoceros
Auklets, a Common Murre, an Anna's Hummingbird and two Black Oystercatchers.
At various locations we had Rough-winged, Barn, Tree and Violet-Green
Swallows. It was a gorgeous day.
Gene Bullock
Poulsbo