Hi Tweeters -
Well, I was already planning a trip to the coast today, so when I
woke up early and saw Brian Bell's message about the Mountain Plover,
I decided to head to Oysterville. Short story: After a long walk, I
was able to re-locate the Mountain Plover!

Here's the scoop on directions: It was a long long way north of the
Oysterville Access to the beach [The Oysterville Access, btw, is
reached by turning west off 103 when you hit Oysterville. The road
ends at a typical drive-on beach access. [Delorme p. 58 D-3, WA ABA
p. 70-72]
From the access point, I walked north about 2 hours before coming
across the Mountain Plover. Though I was pausing regularly to sort
through Sanderling & Dunlin flocks, I have a hard time believing I
was only 2 miles 1-2.5 miles north of the Access Point when I found
the Mountain Plover, so perhaps it is moving northward.
For future searchers, on the way back I walked more directly &
briskly and have a couple reference times: From the access point
north to the signs marking the end of the driveable part of the beach
it took me about 40-50 minutes of brisk walking. From those signs to
the Mountain Plover, it was an additional 20-30 minutes.

At the place where I observed the Mountain Plover today, I put a bit
of yellow styrofoam debris in the nearest stump [up near the brush
line]. It is about the size of a gallon jug, and can be seen from a
ways south of the spot [not quite visible in today's haze from the
no-further-driving signs, but soon thereafter. I also scuffed up a
couple circles around the stump & wrote an incorrect 4-letter code
[MOPL] in the sand in the hopes that either the yellow jug or the
marks in the sand will last.

The Mountain Plover was alone, feeding between the tire tracks and
the brush line, well up from the surf. It fed occasionally, and ran
quite well, but in the 20-30 minutes I observed it, I never saw it
open its wings or fly. It allowed approach to within maybe 15 feet
quite readily, but then kept alert and would move a bit away.

All told, I wonder whether a more efficient path to this spot
wouldn't be from the north, from Leadbetter Point? If beach access
goes through, that might be a shorter path to the same general area.

Other birds of the day:
Tokeland: The usual suspects at Toke Point Marina - a dockload of
Marbled Godwits with scattered LB Dowitchers & Willets mixed in.
[Delorme p. 44 C-1, WA ABA p. 67-8]

Midway Beach - a short walk wasn't able to turn up any Snowy Plovers,
but I was not up for another extended stroll, so I shortchanged this
bit. A Peregrine Falcon did cruise by at close range though. [Delorme
p. 58 B/C-3]

Westport Jetty - About 1/2 way out on the right side, a nice small
flock of rockpipers - ~6 Black Turnstones, 2 Surfbirds & 1 Rock
Sandpiper. [Delorme p. 58 A/B-2/3, WA ABA p. 64-66]


A good day!

Matt Bartels,
Seattle, WA

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