Hello Tweets,

Yesterday(August 30th)we birded at Ocean Shores with additional stops made at other areas including Brady Loop Rd.,the Hoquiam STP and Tokeland. It was a great day at the coast with fairly calm conditions along with a few highlights that always make the day more exciting. We began the day with a short visit to Mud Bay via Hwy.101 west of Olympia in Thurston Co then continued onto Brady Loop Rd. with a drive along Foster Rd. and continuing around the west outer perimeter back to Hwy.12. After birding Brady Loop RD. we traveled straight to the Hoquiam STP and check the main pond there before continuing onto Ocean Shore arriving after 12pm,where our main birding focus was made. We immediately knew it would be a very slow birding day as we arrived first to the Ocean Shores STP,then walked the entire upper beach area at the Oyhut Wildlife Area east to Damon Point then made a thorough walking around the entire outer perimeter of Damon Point to Catala Spit. It was a great walk even though much of it was made on lose sand,but finding at least one good bird with all the effort paid off. After birding Damon Point we drove straight to the Tokeland Marina,where we arrived just after high tide at 5:40pm. We immediately encounter the large Marbled Godwit flock resting calmly on the old wooden dock at the south end of the marina,where an estimated 500+ birds were tallied. Amongst the tight uniform flock of Marbled Godwits was one very pale buffy individual that could easily be identified by some birders as a Bar-tailed Godwit. This individual however lacked the crisp mantle pattern,white supercillium extending beyond the eye,white undertail coverts and belly and overall shorter stance than a true Bar-tailed Godwit. Additional features this bird lacked included the barred white underwings in flight,as well as whitish rump in flight.

Our good day began along Hwy.101 west of Olympia,as we drive with the sun to our backs and at MP 364.5 obtained good,but brief views as an adult RED-SHOULDERED HAWK flew north to south across Hwy.101 immediately east of Kaiser Rd. The bird was only views flying the width of the eastbound lane,as it rapidly flew into a dense stand of conifers and out of sight. This bird was bright showing bright orange-red underparts(extending from the head to the breast and having the sun behind us may have helped even more,but the bird also showed the classic white wing flashes on both the outer upper and underwings,as well as relatively short broad wings so there was no mistaking it with even the brightest Red-tailed Hawk. The wings were dark from the under and upperside,but as mentioned before showed the distinctive white wing flashes,as the bird flew accipiter-like evenly across Hwy.101. The bird's structure was stocky and compact and the tail seemed somewhat long and dark showing white barring. The habitat was somewhat different than we have encountered most Rd-shouldered Hawks and we do expect the bird is a migrant and just passing through the area. We did locate several creeks in the immediate area on our DeLorme Atlas including Percival and McLane Creek,as well as Black Lake that is nearby so the bird could have moved to those areas. Although the views were so brief we enjoyed them while they lasted and an exciting and unexpected way to begin our day!

Nearby, we birded at Mud Bay from several locations including along Madrona Beach Rd. where we located the following species: 25 Greater Yellowlegs,1 Spotted Sandpiper, 5 Western Sandpipers,80 Bonaparte's Gulls,and 1 Mew Gull.

>From Mud Bay we drove straight to Brady Loop Rd.,where we located a juvenile WHITE-TAILED KITE perched atop a dead tree along a canal north of the road,. This bird is most likely the same individual than noted by Hugh Jennings during his ELWA field trip on the 26th of August. We watched the bird for just a few minutes until the bird took flight from the dead tree and continued slightly east in the sun until we were lost the bird as it presumably dropped down into grass or vegetation. We relocated the bird within a short time later,as it flew back and west over the road and landed in a live alder tree allowing the best views of this young bird. The bird then played with a female Northern Harrier that flew by then the kite relanded back atop the tree at a distance from us. It was another nice bird to start our growing raptor list for the day! We continued from Foster Rd. and continued around the remaining portion of Brady Loop Rd. back to Hwy.12 and encountered a few additional species along the way including the following:

3 Hooded Mergansers
14 Turkey Vultures
1 Am.Kestrel
1 Wilson's Snipe
1 Willow Flycatcher
1 Western Scrub Jay
6 Black-throated Gray Warblers
1 Wilson's Warbler
10 Purple Finches


Next,we made a short visit to the Hoquiam STP where a scattering of ducks and gulls dotted the main pond including 40 Northern Shovelers,8 Northern Pintails and 6 Greater Scaup. A group of 4 Red-necked Phalaropes were observed in the far northeast corner of the pond,as they foraged on top of the water.


At Ocean Shores birding was very slow for overall birding,especially for shorebirds but we managed to enjoy our visit nonetheless. Our main highlight was an adult AM.GOLDEN PLOVER flushed from dune grass and vegetation along north beach near the tip of Damon Point. The bird quickly raised and flew northward calling almost constantly with it's distinctive "kleee-u" call,which was accented on the first syllable and lower on the second syllable. As the bird flew the splotchy back belly was observed of the retaining breeding plumage,but as the bird flew north facing away from the sun the bright golden pattern on the wings was most evident. We watched the bird fly to the north and slightly to the east as it continued towards Goose Island in North Bay. Like the Red-shouldered Hawk that began our day this sighting was brief,but well worth the effort walking at Damon Point!

After birding Ocean Shores then ending the day at Tokeland we drove home via S.R.105 to Raymond then along Hwy.101 to S.R.107 to Montesano. Our last 2 species of the day included a Pileated Woodpecker and a group of 5 COMMON NIGHTHAWKS both noted north of Raymond in Pacific Co. 2 additional Common Nighthawks were observed flying over Elma,as we drove along Hwy.12 at 8pm.


A list of other noteworthy sightings made during the day included the following:


7 Red-throated Loons at the Oyhut Wildlife Area

1 RED-NECKED GREBE at Lake Minard(our first August record of this species at Ocean Shores,as well as a somewhat unusual location)

2 Great Egrets observed along S.R.105 west of Bay City(near Westport)

1 female-type Harlequin Duck and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers at the Oyhut WA

1 Sharp-shinned Hawk along S.R.109 south of Gray Gables

1 Peregrine Falcon at the Oyhut WA/Ocean Shores STP

2 Black-bellied Plovers and 125+ Western Sandpipers at Catala Spit

1 Spotted Sandpiper at Lake Minard(Ocean Shores)with 2 additional birds noted at the Raymond STP(accessed along S.R.105 west of Raymond)

14 Willets at the Tokeland Marina

1 Wandering Tattler and 2 Ruddy Turnstones at the Oyhut WA

1 Short-billed Dowitcher calling over Damon Point

2 Red-necked Phalaropes at the Ocean Shores STP

5 Bonaparte's Gulls at the Oyhut WA

1 lingering adult female Purple Martin at the Tokeland Marina(observed flying around over the marina,but never visiting the nestsite)

1 Western Scrub Jay along Hwy.12 at Elma with an additional bird noted along Emerson Ave. at Hoquiam




On a side note we encountered our earlist fall record of "Sooty"Fox Sparrow in our yard on the early morning of the 28th of August.



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Fircrest,WA
godwit513 at msn.com