Hello Tweets,

Today we enjoyed a day birding in the Ocean Shores area,despite the constant winds most of the day! Our main efforts were made at the Ocean Shores Jetty and Damon Point,which both produced nice species. Our main highlight of the day was an active NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD calling from dense Scot's Broom shrubbery and a few evergreen trees at 3pm just northeast of the Damon Point Pond. The bird was very active and moved around the general vicinity and kept very close to thick cover as it was observed,but the bird was again heard calling further east of the general location after the initial observation. Nonetheless,it was a nice and unexpected sighing for this location and represented our first personal record for Ocean Shores. A single SHORT-EARED OWL was also observed flying over the vast dunes near he same vicinity as the Northern Mockingbird. After birding Damon Point we went and visited a friend that lives near Bill's Spit,(who also knows birds too)and she told us she observed a Northern Mockingbird yesterday evening at 5pm very near her home,so this could be the same bird!

This sighting came after walking the entire perimeter of Damon Point and Catala Spit,where we looked for any remaining Snowy Owls with no luck! Birding at Damon Point was actually quite slow,except for a nice sparrow movement in dense Scot's Broom thickets and other vegetation near the extreme northeast tip of Damon Point. Here,the flocks were dominated by many Savannah Sparrows,up to 60+ Golden-crowned Sparrows with small numbers of White-crowned Sparrows,1 CHIPPING SPARROW,1 Lincoln's Sparrow,1 Hermit Thrush,1 Orange-crowned Warbler and 1 Wilson's Warbler. Most of these bird were very active moving in and out from one ticket to the next,but allowed brief examinations when they settled for a few seconds.

Our other main highlight of the day at Ocean Shores was our visit to the Ocean Shores Jetty between 12pm-12:30pm during outgoing tide. Here,we encountered several personal year birds beginning with good numbers of COMMON TERNS that flew by the tip of the jetty,as well as a single adult PARASITIC JAEGER and 3 WANDERING TATTLERS along the southside of the jetty. A walk to the tip of the jetty also produced 2 lingering ROCK SANDPIPERS and a single Ruddy Turnstone. Overall shorebird numbers at Ocean Shores were very light of the locations we visited,but everyday is different as far as diversity.


During our evening visit to Bill's Spit a large flock of Greater White-fronted Geese flew north of Damon Point,then a single adult Bald Eagle came in from an unknown direction and spooked 2 of the geese from the main flock. The Bald Eagle pursued the 2 geese,then singed out one of the geese and chased it around for about 2 minutes. Soon the pursuit got more fast until the lone goose dropped into the water just north of Damon Point and made a big splash The Bald Eagle swooped down,but then quickly rose above the water and circled over the area where goose had dropped into the water. Within 5 minutes the Bald Eagle landed into the water and snatched the goose up carrying it off towards Damon Point,as it dangled in it talons! This is yet another life experience we have endured by a Bald Eagle in less than 2 weeks!


Other noteworthy sightings from Ocean Shores included the following:

Pacific Loon
15 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Red-throated Loon
5 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

Horned Grebe
1 lingering bird at Bill's Spit

Western Grebe
18 off the Ocean Shores Jetty
3 at Damon Point(North Bay)

Greater White-fronted Goose
265+ in 2 separate flocks over Damon Point

"Black"Brant
145+ at Damon Point(North Bay)

Cackling Geese
95+ over Damon Point

Cinnamon Teal
1 male at the Ocean Shores STP

Turkey Vulture
2 at Damon Point

Northern Harrier
1 at Damon Point

Merlin
1 flying along S.R.109 just east of Ocean City

Peregrine Falcon
2 adult birds at Damon Point

Marbled Godwit
1 at Damon Point(with 3 Whimbrel)
10 at Bill's Spit

Ruddy Turnstone
1 at the Ocean Shores Jetty
3 at Damon Point(with 1 Black Turnstone and various shorebird species)

Bonaparte's Gull
55+ off the Ocean Shores Jetty
25 at Bill's Spit

Common Tern
305+ off the Ocean Shores Jetty
200+ in North Bay off Damon Point

Olive-sided Flycatcher
1 near Bill's Spit

"Streaked"Horned Lark
5 at Damon Point


After leaving Ocean Shores we checked a few locations on our way home beginning at the Hoquiam STP,where a group of 70 Bonaparte's Gulls speckled the main pond. Nearby,along a gathering of 25 Golden-crowned Sparrows mixed with many Savannah Sparrows along the alder-lined road to the Bowerman Basin Airport. A nesting pair of Osprey were also noted at their nest at the corner of Airport and Paulson Rds.

Next,a nice gathering of 100 Whimbrel foraged in a recently mowed field along the south side of Hwy.12 just west of Montesano between MP 7 and 8. A quick and windy drive along the outer portion of Brady Loop Rd. yielded another flock of Whimbrel contained 15 birds with 30 Black-bellied Plovers that all foraged in a recently cultivated field just north of Gillis Rd. Other sightings along Brady Loop Rd. included 10 Turkey Vultures, 2 Ospreys at an active nest, a single Northern Harrier and a Lincoln's Sparrow. Our third and final flock of Whimbrel of the day were tallied in flight along Hwy.12 just east of Schouweiler Rd. with a total of 70+ birds,as they continued westward.

Lastly,our last few good birds of the day occurred in Pierce Co. beginning with a nice pair of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS observed along a chain link fence line along I-5 at Ft.Lewis. As we exited off of I-5 at the South Tacoma Way exit a single Am.Kestrel perched atop a dead snag along the edge of an on ramp. Our last and final species of the day was a single Green Heron observed flying over Lakewood Drive towards the Flett Creek Basin at 8pm.



Good birding,

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