Hello Tweets,OBOLers and other birders,

The Mountain Plover near Oysterville in Pacific Co.(Washington State)was again seen this morning by up to 4 birders between 10:30am-11:45am. My mother and I were joined by Arden and Sherry Hagen of Vancouver,as we all obtained excellent,close views of this fine bird,as it foraged along the upper sandy beach alone not seeming to be too wary of our presence. My mother and I initially made the nearly 2.5 mile hike to the location,then immediately observed the bird resting calmly in tire track grooves approximately 1/2 mile north of the posted driving poles/markers,which lie north of the Oysterville beach access areas. Arden and Sherry soon joined us,as we watched the bird forage in a fairly limited area along the upper beach amongst the scattered tire tracks,straw and wood debris. We all obtained great photos of the bird and conditions were great with light winds and clearing skies by the time we left the location. As an option to avoid too much excess hiking it is possible to drive from the southern or "main" Oysterville beach access(accessed at the west end of Oysterville Rd.),then driving north along the open beaches to the posted driving area,then walking north of that location to search for the Mountain Plover. Anyhow, it is a great bird to see and hopefully this bird may continue for other birders to seek! This was our personal second record of Mountain Plover in WA for my mother and with the other record occurring much further down the beach at Ft.Canby State Park during the winter of 2000/2001.Away from the lone Mountain Plover there were few other species of interest along the open beaches,although vast,scattered flocks of Sanderling and Dunlin were noted. Offshore observations yielded a flock of 9 White-winged Scoters and scattered numbers of Surf Scoters and 3-4 Red-throated Loons all flying northbound. We have placed 11 photos of the Mountain Plover taken this morning in different poses onto our website,which can be accessed at the following link: http://www.pbase.com/godwit/mountain_plover

On our walk back we all experienced the rescue of a juvenile dark-morph Gyrfalcon made earlier near the tip of Leadbetter Point by a Washington State Park official,who briefly showed us the injured bird wrapped up and ready to take to a caregiver. The bird had an injured eye and the people that caught the bird said it is uncertain if the bird could be released back into the wild upon rehabilitation. We all enjoyed seeing the bird at such close range and hope the best for the bird! My mother and I then hopped into the Hagens' vehicle,who graciously offered us a nice ride back to the beach access. Thank you again Arden and Sherry!

On our way home from Oysterville my mother and I checked several locations beginning at 12:45pm with a visit along 85 Street(accessed off of Sandridge Rd.)near the Lone Fir Cemetery on a wetland portion of the Willapa Bay NWR. At this location highlights encountered including the following:

1 Turkey Vulture
1 Am.Kestrel
2 adult Peregrine Falcons
5-6 Tree Swallows

A single Greater White-fronted Goose was observed with various Cackling and Canada Geese along Hwy.101 just south of Bay Center-Dike Rd. followed by 2 additional Greater White-fronted Geese observed with a large congregation of Cackling and Canada Geese at a typical location in a large,open pasture further north along Hwy.101 west of South Bend.

Our final visit of the day was made along Brady Loop Rd. at 3pm,where notable species along the entire "loop" drive included the following

2 Northern Harriers
1 Rough-legged Hawk
4 Am.Kestrels
1 pair of Ring-necked Pheasants
1 Western Scrub Jay

Earlier in the day en route to Oysterville we noted a single female Rufous Hummingbird fly across Hwy.101 to forage in a dense clump of Salmonberry just south of the Naselle River,which was our definite first of the season. Next, up to 9 Canvasbacks were noted along Hwy.101 at the Bear River at the Lewis Unit of the Willapa NWR. A Ruffed Grouse was briefly observed flying away into dense cover along Sandridge Rd.,as we approached the town of Oysterville.



Good birding,

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