Spent most of Saturday birding the Neah Bay/Hobuck Beach area, and
inspite of being rained out by mid afternoon, managed to pick-up some good Spring
birds. Off Cape Flattery, 4 early Tufted Puffins were near Tattosh with large
flocks of migrating geese (close to 500 Brant and 1000 Greater White-fronted
Geese) going over. Seabirds included a small flocks of Common Murres, many
Pelagic Cormorants, smaller numbers of Brandts and Double-creasted, 6 Black
Oystercatchers, and lots of Pigeon Guillimots.
Walking the trail to the overlook had many singing Orange-cowned and
Wilson's Warblers with 1-2 Yellows and a Black-throated Grey. Pacific-slope
Flycatchers were heard, 2-3, and lots of singing Winter Wrens.
Hobuck Beach had 4 Townsend, and 8 Yellow-rumped Warblers, with lots
of Western and Least Sandpipers on the water's edge. Also, about 25 Greater
White-fronted Geese were on the road the the beach with 5 Swallow species
overhead and 6 Common Mergansers.
Visability lessened in the afternoon so we worked our way back,
stopping at Sails Rocks overlook where a lone Whimbrel stood at the base of Sail
Rock. Pillar Pt CP was alive with calling Wilson's Warblers and we managed to
locate 6 MacGillivray's Warblers, the most I have ever had in a single group.
Finishing off today, Sunday, I went early out to Point-No-Point and
picked-up on the "mini" migration for the 3rd weekend in a row. Three Mt
Chickadees were still there with one singing Bullock's Oriole, many
Orange-crowned Warblers, 2 Warbling Vireos, and one Yellow Warbler singing loudly. Several
groups of 15 Yellow-rump Warblers were seen flying overhead.

It can't get much better than this for a birder at this time of the year!
Doug Watkins
Bainbridge Is