Greetings Tweeters,
Saturday my wife and I spent some time on the coast. While not really a
birding trip, I did just happen to have my optics on hand (imagine that).
We walked the beach at Midway beach, around the pond, then up, then down the
beach a little ways. Quite a few shorebirds and gulls about, starting to
look like the winter suite of species. There were 4000 or so shorebirds on
the outer beach, estimated as follows: Sanderling ~ 3500; Dunlin, 300;
Least Sandpiper, 200 +; SNOWY PLOVER, 10; Western Sandpiper, a few. At one
point a merlin cruised through, no Horned Larks or Longspurs on hand, a
couple of pipits overhead.

>From there we went down to Tokeland, to check out fresh seafood at Nelson
Crab. Nothing fresh there so we got some clam chowder and went out to the
boat basin as a consolation. We ate chowder and checked out godwits. The
tide was rather high and most godwits were roosting on the dock. We
estimated 900 birds total. The group on the dock included a striking
BAR-TAILED. We counted 18 Willet and 4 Whimbrel between the godwit flocks
and Toke Point. From Tokeland we headed to Westport to continue our quest
for fresh shrimp, we found none. However, as long as we we in the area... I
did a quick check of the float 21 godwit flock; only about 50 to 75 birds
remain, nothing but Marbled.

Cheers and good birding,
Bill Shelmerdine
Olympia
mail to: georn1 at hotmail.com

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