In the late morning today (8/28/05), Jim Acton called
me to say that
he had seen a juvenile BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER on the
Reardan Audubon Lake. The bird was in the first cove
on the west side of the road and on the near shoreline
(generally on the mudflats up from the water).

After some frantic phone calls, I loaded up my rig and
picked Harold and Karen Cottet, and Jan Reynolds. When
we arrived at Reardan, Jim Acton and Tom Munson had
the bird in the scope. Later, Mark Houston, Karen
Mobley, and a couple (the Becks) from Arlington, WA
showed up.

The Buff-breasted Sandpiper had a warm golden coloring
on the upper breast, white belly and undertail
coverts, scaly patterned back, yellowish but muddy
legs, big button eyes on a plain face, and was highly
active feeder (rather like a yellowlegs). It lifted
its wings a couple of time to show it had white
underway coverts.

Some of the other birds that were present included
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER-4 Pacific race juveniles,
PECTORAL SANDPIPER -2, WESTERN SANDPIPER, BAIRD'S
SANDPIPER, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER-2, VIRGINIA RAIL -2,
SORA-1, STILT SANDPIPER-1, WILSON'S SNIPE, RED-NECKED
& WILSON'S PHALAROPEs, BLACK-NECKED STILT, AMERICAN
AVOCET, and AMERICAN PIPIT.

This fabulous bird was state lifer for me, and an ABA
lifer for many.
Special thanks go out Jim Acton for finding this bird.

Gina Sheridan
Spokane, WA

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