Greetings All

Brad Wagonner, Doug and Pipper Watkins, and I started yesterday AM at 5:30 at
the Cape Flattery/Tatoosh Island overlook and spent about 3 hours there.

Beyond the scads of nesting birds, we had two small brown and white
shearwaters fly by, allowing ID as Manx/Black-vented type, but we were unable to see
them well enough to establish the ID as Manx with certainty. Amazing as it
seems, Manx is far more likely than Black-vented, something no one would have
guessed 25 years ago.

Brad also spotted two Xantus's Murrelets (he was the one who spotted the
shearwaters as well -- great eyes on that guy). These birds flew up to and then
just behind Tatoosh. The black upperparts sans white scapulars, the completely
white underparts, and gleaming white underwings were apparent (as was size),
eliminating all similar species. This really is the expected time of year, and
they are seen from land in CA at times duirng late summer/fall, so .... perhaps
not uttery unexpected.

Other highlights included an alternate plumage Pacific Golden-Plover at the 3
Crabs Restaurant mudflats, in with about 350 Black-bellied Plovers, 7 Marbled
Godwits, and one odd godwit (see next post). This change in weather does seem
to have brought in some shorebirds finally.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow
Everett WA
SGMlod at aol.com