Sunday, Sept. 11th, myself, Nate Osborn and Joe Liebezeit birded
Brownsmead (Clatsop Cty., Oregon) and then drove up to Leadbetter State
Park (Pacific Cty., Washington) for shorebirds.

Brownsmead:
Fall/winter birds beginning to show:
Along Blind Slough was a flock of 10 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. Also,
an unexpected WESTERN MEADOWLARK flew over and perched in a fir long
enough for us to get the scope on it. 1 WILSON'S WARBLER was in a flock
of C-B CHICKADEES.

At the Columbia River dike:
1 CASPIAN TERN over the water, along the dike a mixed flock of
GOLDEN-CROWNED, WHITE-CROWNED, SAVANNAH SPARROWS, 1 ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLER, 1 WILLOW FLYCATCHER, many CEDAR WAXWING and AMERICAN
GOLDFINCH. We were hearing a two-note finch-like call all morning that
none of us could place. We finally figured it out--it was the begging
call of AMERICAN GOLDFINCH chicks following their parents around.

Leadbetter sp:
At the north parking lot we had a wonderful flock in perfect afternoon
light composed of: TOWNSEND, B-T GRAY WARBLERS & A (PROBABLE) YELLOW
WARBLER, BOTH KINGLETS, C-B CHICKADEES, PAC.SLOPE FLYCATCHER,
BR.CREEPER, DOWNY WOODPECKER.

We then proceeded to strike out on shorebirds, which was surprising because we
were there two hours before high tide at the peak of shorebird migration!
Nothing on the bay side except RING-BILLED GULLS, and about a million SANDERLINGS
on the ocean side. Off shore there were several SHEARWATERS with a
foraging flock of gulls. The setting sun prevented us from identifying
to species.

If anyone knows a more successful way to find shorebirds at Leadbetter
sp or along Willapa bay I would appreciate your thoughts.....

Jason Wolf