Hello All:
Ryan Shaw, Tracey Norris, and I birded all day today from Tokeland to
Astoria. First thing in the morning at Tokeland we encountered snow
flurries and a stiff wind. About 700 or 800 Marbled Godwits were roosting on
two different docks in the marina, along with 9 Willets. Heading south we
scanned a couple thousand gulls picking on some fresh piles of crab shells
north of Raymond. We found nothing rare, surprisingly, but good numbers of
Herring and a few Thayer's. Least Sandpipers were feeding on the edge of the
Raymond STP. In South Bend, in the Willapa River, Ryan and I had a Clark's
Grebe along with many Westerns and single Eared. Also a Trumpeter Swan in
the river. Further south we found three Swamp Sparrows and a Brant in the
area along the Palix River at the start of Bay Center Dike Rd.

Next we did some birding at Fort Canby SP, with few birds other than a
Hermit Thrush and offshore Black-legged Kittiwakes. Chinook Valley Rd was
pretty slow also. White-tailed Kite was a notable miss for the day. To end
the day we crossed the bridge to Astoria, OR and did some birding at dusk
near Coffenbury Lake in Fort Stevens SP. We lucked out and found a pair or
two of Wrentits just as it was getting too dark to really bird.

Cheers
Charlie Wright
Bonney Lake, Washington